By Dr. Ajay Data – Founder and CEO of Data Global Ingenious Limited
During this unprecedented crisis, Digital technology is ensuring that people are connected virtually. Thanks to digital technology which has given a new way to our existing pattern of life. This digital revolution had begun during the 1980s. But the COVID-19 crisis has taught us how digital technology is an essential part of our lives. Imagine a life now without Digital!
As the country walks a very thin line between reviving the fallen economy and fighting a deadly virus at large, the lockdown has cultivated some new ways of doing things. During this crisis, Digital technology has brought in the power of tech to provide essential help to each and every sector. We are now depending upon it for our work, social connectivity, educational activities, and entertainment as well. In India, almost each and every house has become a new workplace, new school, and coaching class.
Digital technology has affected our lives in more than one way. National lockdown increased our digital consumption enormously. With restrictions in place against stepping out, a report by WPP suggests that there had been 82% surge in social media consumption during the lockdown and 453% more people are using the digital medium to consume news. E-commerce witnessed 70-100% growth for shopping of essential goods.
‘Old’ normal has given the way to ‘New’ normal and in the current scenario, everybody has realized that life will never be the same again. Hence, digitally, we can see huge opportunities despite the crisis. It is high time to convert the crisis into an opportunity for making a stronger Digital India. This is the right time to take a pause, reset, and enter into a Naya (New) Yug (era)- Digital Era!
Digital Transformation in Companies
This pandemic has made companies realize the benefits of digital technology. The perfect use of lockdown time can be invested in building the company’s digital infrastructure for each and every employee to work anytime anywhere. This digital workplace is important to fulfill customers’ requirements and provide services without any interruption during the lockdown. It is important to understand customers’ requirements or the time they are spending on. You can also your websites, products, and apps which can be user friendly.
Digital Marketing is one of the prominent ways to present and popularize your work, product, services, and solutions. Everyone must learn how to present and market online. Due to lockdown, many people spend most of their time on social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. A lot of companies are finding creative ways of advertising their products online to keep in touch with their customers. The effective use of social media along with creative content can grab the attention of the customers.
Want to stay connected with the team and clients? Video meeting apps like VideoMeet, Zoom, and Google Meet are providing people with face-to-face interactions. Our offering ‘VideoMeet’ has unique features with its ‘Made in India’ tag.
Towards Telemedicine
In healthcare sectors, online consultation or telemedicine is available for many years. Now the adoption of telemedicine is essential to avoid human-to-human contact and slow the transmission of the virus. Also, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), in collaboration with NITI Aayog and Board of Governors (BoG) Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued telemedicine guidelines so that registered doctors can provide consultation to those who cannot visit the doctors due to lockdown. Digital health would certainly redefine the way India provides treatment and care to its people.
Learn from home
Technology has become a new ‘Guru’ for students. Many institutes have decided to switch to online learning to complete the semester study as they are shut to check or break the spread of novel Coronavirus. Ensuring all students have access to technology and good internet institutes have started to take attendance virtually. There are several e-learning apps like BYJU’s, Adda24x7, Duolingo, Khan Academy, etc are becoming the new sources for students to gain knowledge in an effective way.
Priority to Cybersecurity
This global tech revolution has come with both advantages and disadvantages. As many sectors are undergoing a phase of digital transformation cybersecurity has become a priority for them.
Hackers are in a hyperactive mode to trick people and create misinformation during the outbreak of COVID-19. Hackers trapped users by sharing links on mail. As soon as a user clicks on the link, personal data of the user lands to the hacking page. If your laptop or computer does not have any network security system, hackers can easily access your computer or laptop to steal your personal information or data.
To avoid such cases educating people about cybersecurity is the first step. It is necessary to make them aware of how to identify such links or direct calls, how to protect the data by network security systems. An easy way to find such threads is continuously examined grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Implement security solutions which can protect the company’s email environment. Avoid clicking on any unknown links. Do not enter the personal information if the source is unknown as banks do not call or send an email to provide them with personal information.
Training for remote working
Taking into account the current crisis, organizations will ideally be making a contingent plan for such a situation in the future. There might be training programs and execution plans that will be given to employees so ‘work from home’ model can be easier.
The world is going to be different after the lockdown. Not just business but even the pattern of life and attitude of people towards things that have been taken for granted so far. The millennial generations would have helped out Gen X to become tech-savvy. Technology will be remembered for its major role during the lockdown and in fighting the pandemic. It is not an exaggeration to say that 200 years from now, the digital revolution, especially in 2020, would be remembered to demarcate a new era exactly as Industrial Revolution had marked the beginning of a new era centuries ago.
