According to a new survey of IT professionals from Insight Enterprises (NASDAQ: NSIT), only 24% of businesses said they were able to adapt to their new environment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with no downtime, while 56% said 2 or fewer weeks of downtime. The analyst says the survey's results emphasize how the coronavirus pandemic has irrevocably changed the way businesses everywhere operate, crystallizing the link between a robust IT infrastructure and business continuity.
The 2020 Insight Intelligent Technology Pulse: The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Readiness report from Insight Enterprises further reveals that 46% of IT professionals felt extremely or very prepared to pivot to the new business landscape. Consequently, businesses could be more proactive about involving IT in contingency planning -- 40% of survey respondents reported having to develop or refine business resiliency plans in response to the pandemic.
“COVID-19 has delivered a crash course in agility for organizations of all stripes,” comments Mike Gaumond, senior vice president and general manager, Connected Workforce at Insight. “The pandemic accelerated the long-brewing shift from an on-site to dispersed workforce and forced companies to reckon with their technology shortfalls. The businesses that have adapted successfully are the ones that kept an eye on the horizon.”
According to the analyst firm, about half (49%) of survey respondents said their IT priorities were very impacted by the pandemic. The survey also found that, when asked to share their top priorities before and after the pandemic, respondents said that although equipping remote workers has been an essential initiative, managing that infrastructure grew in importance -- more than other priorities for IT professionals.
However, no IT initiative took precedence over security – half of respondents cited improving data and network security and recovery as a top 3 priority both before and after COVID-19. According to the survey, IT departments are very focused on investing in technologies that will, going forward, help to protect employee health: 58% said they plan to invest in smart personal hygiene devices, such as connected hand sanitizer stations; 36% said they plan to invest in contactless sensors; 35% said they plan to invest in infrared thermometers; and 25% said they plan to invest in thermal cameras. In addition, one-third said they are considering an Internet of Things ecosystem that allows them to aggregate and analyze all of the inputs they gather from these devices.
In facing today’s "new normal," Insight reports that 79% of survey respondents said they expect IT to take on a greater role within their organizations than prior to the pandemic. Roughly two-thirds (65%) said they believe their company is now “very” or “extremely prepared” to handle a situation similar to COVID-19 from an IT perspective. Yet, 65% cited business continuity planning or the ability to work remotely as their biggest lesson learned from the impact of COVID-19.
“Now that the initial shock has passed, enterprises are starting to think about how to re-establish a sense of routine," said Matt Jackson, vice president, Digital Innovation at Insight. "Are the changes they made a few months ago right for their organization moving forward, or do they need to re-evaluate how to shore up new vulnerabilities, improve efficiencies and reduce expenses in the long run? Making continued investments in ‘what’s next’ – from AI to virtual workspaces – has only taken on heightened importance in this new world of digital engagement.”
To download the complete 2020 Insight Intelligent Technology Pulse report, go to www.insight.com/ITpulse.