Under the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has, by all means, go into a state of standstill and isolation. And until we get hold of the vaccine, social distancing remains the most effective way to slow down the virus spread. As a result, anything and everything that relies on human-to-human contact is treated as a risk of communicating the virus, thus mandating curfews and shutdowns.In such times, digitization has come to the rescue, opening up ingenious ways to work, shop, study, and much more.
In a contact-less post pandemic world, the need for digital transformation is inevitable. With that being said, adopting the digital capabilities for the future environment can propel businesses and individuals to surpass the challenges of a near future that would be much different from the pre-pandemic world. As the world moves towards virtual business operations and contactless delivery, digitalization will soon become the new norm.
The Shift to Digital
Prior to the pandemic, there was a paradigm shift towards digital mandate. But now, this trend has been accelerated, bringing a steep rise in digitalization – not only for business operations but in every aspect of life. It is high time people make a move towards digital innovations. Various digital tools and technologies have stepped in to bridge the gap left by social distancing and mass termination of business operations.
Digital content consumption is on an all-time high with homebound consumers turning to OTT platforms and digital content providers for their entertainment needs. Similarly, liquid money has become a disadvantage, propelling people to switch to digital payments as a swift and secure option. Omnichannel commerce solutions are on the rise as physical businesses are shutting down, and consumers are turning to online shopping portals to meet their needs. As a result, both businesses and consumers are blending their physical shopping experience with their convenience over online buying, giving the physical-digital integration a big boost.
The ‘New’ Business World
The current situation is a reality check for businesses that are woefully unprepared for the digital future. Operating digitally has become the only option for businesses to survive the pandemic situation. Now, it is either ‘go digital’ or ‘get closed’. The dramatic drop-off in sales and demand, along with the total economic uncertainty, has pushed businesses to prepare for a digital future. Even businesses that were reluctant to embrace digital tools and technologies are now migrating their workforce and operations to a virtual environment. No doubt, businesses that have already developed and executed digital strategies prior to the pandemic are now in a good position to leapfrog their competitors.
The Digital Advantage
Digital solutions are advantageous for businesses as they enable them to sustain in the face of adversity and bring greater resiliency. Harnessing digital technologies would help businesses streamline their operations and automate manual processes, thus resulting in greater efficiency and speed. The transition to full-time remote working has improved digital collaboration in leaps and bounds, both in terms of facilitating employee comfort and sophistication of work tools. With remote work setup and digital tools that leverage the collaboration technology, employees can maximize their productivity and thus sustain their work culture.
No doubt, digitization is keeping business and society afloat during this pandemic, and this trend would continue into the post-pandemic phase as well. As a result, industry professionals today are expected to stay abreast with digital technologies to excel in their sphere of work. And to that end, having your education from a reputed institute like the Indore Institute of Science & Technology(IIST) would surely help you to enhance your employability quotient even in the post-pandemic world.
IIST, one among the top 5 engineering colleges in Indore, has always remained committed to providing a holistic learning experience to its students. The institute majorly focuses on capacity building of its students and instilling them with industry-centric skills and abilities. Students are showered with rich opportunities for training, internship, and research & development. IIST makes sure that its students have sound know-how on the emerging fields so that they are globally competent and can effectively cater to the evolving industry requirements.