While it makes perfect sense for IT employees to work from remote locations via video conferencing and collaboration tools seamlessly - especially in the case of tech giants like Google or Microsoft -- workers from the non-IT companies and small and medium enterprises (SMBs) are the worst-hit in India as most of them have little or no clue about how these messaging and collaboration tools work amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Small companies -- from corporate to education verticals -- are scrambling to get their act together as new coronavirus threat has reached their premises, prompting them to send employees home who have age-old laptops, poor network and connectivity with no UPS backups and little knowledge about how to handle group chat and collaboration software like Zoom, Google Hangouts Meet, Microsoft Teams and Flock etc.
Instead of halting operations, however, businesses can choose to shift towards remote working methods with teaching non-IT staff on how to use the latest digital software to connect and work, say industry experts.
The training will take some time and may hamper productivity in the short run but is a win-win situation for the non-tech companies in the long run, in case any such global emergency arises in the future.
According to a latest report by Gartner, 54 per cent of HR leaders have cited that poor technology and/or infrastructure for remote working is the biggest barrier to effective remote working.
Sandy Shen, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner, says that with COVID-19 disrupting the business landscape, CIOs should relook at the digital fulfillment of market demand.
"The value of digital channels, products and operations is immediately obvious to companies everywhere right now. This is a wake-up call for organisations that have placed too much focus on daily operational needs at the expense of investing in digital business and long-term resilience," warned Shen.
Businesses that can shift technology capacity and investments to digital platforms will mitigate the impact of the outbreak and keep their companies running smoothly now, and over the long term.
"Videoconferencing, messaging, collaboration tools and document sharing are just a few examples of technologies that facilitate remote work. Additional bandwidth and network capacity may also be needed, given the increasing number of users and volume of communications," informed Shen.
The IT industry's apex body Nasscom has asked the government to relax norms for a month to allow work-from-home for technology and back-office employees as a measure to deal with the spread of Covid-19 in India.
Networking giant Cisco said that it has seen "significant growth" in the usage of its web conferencing and video-conferencing service Webex in India.
According to Muneer Ahmad, Business Head, ViewSonic India, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the corporate and educational sector is severely getting affected in the country.
"ViewSonic IFP has a cloud-based software which help teachers and corporates to connect through video conferencing to multiple people at the same time and can split the screen into six screens. It can also connect with various tools like Skype, Cisco WebEx, Zoom, Google Hangouts and GoToMeeting," Ahmad told IANS.
Co-working sector has also taken a hit and the industry is looking at several measures to tackle it -- from ensuring supply of juices rich in Vitamin C to supply of disinfectants and giving work from home facilities.
"The scheduled visits of the clients at our co-working offices have been postponed. Few of our clients have cancelled their outstation meetings and have now started audio/video conferencing for virtual meetings," said Nakul Mathur, MD, Avanta India.
According to reports, India has approximately 1,000 co-working locations (as of September 2019) and is the second-largest market for the co-working industry after China.
As India's first licensed B2B Virtual Network Operator, CloudConnect Communications offers a collaborative platform that allows companies to overcome the COVID-19 threat while maintaining seamless business continuity and optimum employee productivity.
"We offer a secure, robust, reliable, scalable and trackable mobile-first unified communication infrastructure that aids remote teleworking so that businesses can continue operating even under any unforeseen circumstances," said Gokul Tandon, Executive Chairman, CloudConnect Communications.
Comments
If we Muslims bow down , We bow down to only the lord of the worlds, a creator who created U, me and all that exists.
We must bow down in humility to Almighty God only, not his creation which is man made.
Physically we should bow down somewhere, and naturally to some direction. If we were to do it right now, we would be bowing towards a random direction. our physical presence on earth forces this upon us as a prostrating Believer to GOD almighty, whether you like it or not.
The bowing down to God Almighty in the direction of the KAABA or the city of Mecca in general is a way to UNIFY all MUSLIMS to bow down to God Almighty, as one body and one unity, towards ONE DIRECTION & towards the mosque.
As to WORSHIPING the cubic black bldg. the Kaaba, We absolutely DO NOT WORSHIP IT.
I will repeat what aharkul mentioned : Umar RA came near the black stone and kissed it and said \ NO doubt, I know that YOU are a STONE and Can neither Benefit anyone NOR Harm anyone. Had i not seen ALLAH's apostel (Prophet Muhammed pbuh) kissing you, I would not have kissed YOU.
While there are traditions about kissing or touching the stone, its real significance is a MARKER of the point at which one starts the tawaaf (Circumambulation) .. A stone is just a stone."
Mr. Nothing But True, Listen Why Muslim Kissing the black stone in KAABHA because our Great Prophet (S.A) kissed the black stone which is braught from Heavan by Angels. Becuase of this only all Muslim Brother's and Sisters kissing Black Stone of Kaabha following the sunnah of Our Prophet (S.A.) Nothing Else.
Umer (R.A) before kissing the black stone said that there is no any special with you . I am kissing because our prophet (S.A.) kissed you. So Everyone should worship one god and not the creation.
Mr. Reality..you look like \Shishlya\" of Mr. Zoker Naik..before preaching others about Creator and Creation, why can't you apply this principle to yourself? WHY ARE YOU KNEELING TOWARDS AND KISSING \"THE BLACK STONE\" IN KAABA? Please throw the stone to Garbage..."
NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI... There is no image of God
Bhagwad Geeta says in Chapter 7 Verse 20.
Those whose intelligence has been STOLEN by MATERIAL desires WORSHIP demigods besides the TRUE GOD.
It is mentioned in chandogya upanishad, Propathaka chapter 6, Khanda seciton 2, Shloka
EKAM EVADITIYAM : He is ONE only without a second.
Then Y are worshiping idols and different man made creative gods which cannot help themselves.. How can you guys not using your intellect when your OWN SCRIPTURES says not to DO SO>>>
Its HIgh time hindu brothers should know the REALITY and consequences it will take when we ignore the CREATOR and worship the CREATION.
WORSHIP THE CREATOR NOT HIS CREATION.
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