As the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact organizations, there has been a fundamental shift in how businesses are run. The traditional, on-premises, desk-based workforce model is soon paving way for the hybrid, cloud, work-from-anywhere model. There is no doubt about the fact that the pandemic has caused organizations to accelerate their migration to the cloud, quickly embracing technology systems that enable virtual work. But just setting up a virtual business infrastructure is not enough; businesses need to rethink how they can use technology to enable and sustain the virtual workforce while also leveraging it as a competitive differentiator.
Here are 5 tips to make your virtual business infrastructure work:
1. Embrace Multi and Hybrid Cloud Strategies
Cloud has become an integral part of the post-COVID business model, laying at the foundation of virtual business infrastructure. To make it work, it is essential for organizations to not succumb to a single cloud type or model, but instead, embrace the benefits of multi and hybrid cloud strategies. While multi-cloud allows for cloud assets to be distributed across several cloud-hosting environments, hybrid cloud enables organizations to use a mix of private and public cloud models to suit their unique business needs. These models also ensure seamless data flow and interoperability across multiple cloud infrastructures, ensuring the success and sustenance of their virtual infrastructure.
2. Enable an Elastic Workplace Environment
The virtual business infrastructure you set up should offer exceptional flexibility to employees who are still getting used to the hybrid workplace. Instead of forcing the workforce to work entirely from home or entirely from office, organizations must spend time devising strategies that provide employees with the tools they need while offering them an environment that is conducive. Organizations must also plan for adjustable schedules, be more accommodating to personal working styles, and provide guidance and recommendations to optimize performance. They should also launch initiatives to get feedback from employees on their needs and challenges and address them in time to further improve productivity.
3. Reduce Complexity
In the new workplace setup, organizations are no longer managing on-premises systems or infrastructure in a single data center. The presence of cloud, edge, mobile, and IoT devices have amplified data complexity as well as changed how services are consumed. Since there is a sudden and widespread change in how processes are created, data is accessed, and systems are monitored, organizations need to devise tactics to make the IT landscape more streamlined. Managing this shift in consumption due to the pandemic requires organizations to understand the different interfaces, security models, and governance structures, carry an inventory of tools and systems, and reduce complexity by restricting the number of endpoints as well as automating as many processes as possible.
4. Have a Robust Change Management Process in Place
The shift towards the hybrid workforce environment is laden with innumerable changes that must be accommodated by organizations – right from a change in the tools that are being used, to new-fanged processes, new approaches, and business models. To ensure processes are repeatable and employees and workflows are in-line with the current business environment, it is important for organizations to have a robust change management process in place that allows them to be aware of imminent risks and take steps to ensure every change is carefully evaluated, documented, and implemented.
5. Focus on Security
COVID-19 has made the workplace infrastructure increasingly heterogeneous, with employees using a host of virtual tools and techniques to carry out day-to-day operations. But this heterogeneous environment brings with it several security challenges, which when not handled in time, can lead to severe repercussions. As the focus on technology shifts towards keeping up with new ways of working, there is a greater need for organizations to carry out continuous security monitoring of the entirely new infrastructure configuration – especially as employees make use of personal devices and unsecure VPN networks to access enterprise resources. Updating enterprise security policy and integrating updated access control, endpoint protection, and encryption across different layers is critical to protect data, platforms, websites, and operating systems from attacks.
COVID-19 has impacted the workplace in ways never imaged before. As organizations move towards new ways of working, there is a pressing need to set up a fully functional virtual business infrastructure that allows employees to do their work and help in achieving business goals. Embracing hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, enabling an elastic workplace environment, reducing IT complexity, investing in robust change management, and focusing on security can all help organizations rethink their underlying infrastructure needs and keep up with constantly shifting business and workforce needs.