The coronavirus has challenged IT organizations around the world in ways unimaginable. But new research conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Citrix Systems, Inc., shows they are rising to the occasion, accelerating their digital transformation efforts to accommodate more flexible ways of working they say employees will demand even after the pandemic subsides. Over three-quarters of more than 3,700 IT leaders in seven countries surveyed believe a majority of workers will be reluctant to return to the office as it was. And 62 percent say they are expediting their move to the cloud as a result. Testing their Mettle “COVID-19 has put already stressed IT teams to the test as mandates designed to slow the spread of the virus have forced them to deliver digital work environments with unprecedented speed,” said Meerah Rajavel, Chief Information Officer, Citrix. “But as the results of our latest research reveal, they have responded and are stepping up their efforts to accommodate flexible models that will drive work for the foreseeable future.” Flexing their Muscle Over two-thirds of the IT decision makers polled by Censuswide (69 percent) say that it has been surprisingly easy for the majority of their employees to work from home, and 71 percent say that the technology they have put in place has enabled them to collaborate just as effectively as they can face-to-face. In light of this, they are revving up their digital engines and implementing solutions to support remote work for the long haul. 62 percent of IT leaders say their departments are considering downsizing physical IT infrastructure and transitioning to a cloud model 42 percent anticipate introducing digital workspace platforms 44 percent are looking to public cloud services to facilitate long-term remote working A Rough Road The road to widespread remote work has not been easy. Almost half (48 percent) of the IT leaders who participated in the Censuswide survey say their organizations did not have a business continuity plan based on the vast majority of employees working from home, and 61 percent found it challenging* to make the switch. In addition, the fast and widespread adoption of remote work has opened a new set of concerns and challenges with which they must deal: 70 percent of IT leaders are worried about information security as a result of employees working-from-home 54 percent say there’s been a spike in employees installing unsanctioned software. 23 percent say that unscheduled virtual personal network (VPN) shutdowns have been a key problem for their department over the last few weeks.

Co-working spaces have been redefining the concept of traditional working, and they have been inculcating various forms of technology to bring in a massive amount of disruption in the space. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) have been fuelling this disruption.

Neetish Sarda, Founder, Smartworks explains why technology is the need of the hour.

At a time when everyone is working remotely, how is your coworking space adapting to it?

As businesses adapt to a more flexible work paradigm, we foresee increased demand for coworking spaces as the occupiers are likely to continue with flexible workspace providers as compared to the traditional workspace. We believe the physical constraints and mandated social distancing norms will make coworking spaces the first choice for many organisations since work from home comes with its challenges.

The clients now want to shift to more segregated workspaces than take up one big office space at a location to ensure continuity of operations.

Our presence across 9 Metro cities with more than 4 Mn sq.ft area provides us with an opportunity to cater to enterprise demands, which are now looking at “de-densify” their offices—both to help their employees and restart business recovery or continuity plans.

As opposed to 20000 sq.ft sq ft office space, Smartworks leases approx 3,00,000 sq. ft office spaces. We are working closely with our clients to ensure that they experience a hassle-free work routine at their workspaces.

How is Smartworks adapting to the technical advances being an agile firm?

Smartworks have been investing in technology since inception and are always looking for innovative ways to drive efficiency for our client members. COVID-19 has accelerated the digitalization of workspaces. To avoid the transmission of germs at workspaces, we have enabled contactless technology that is proving to be a greater interest for our clients. Our innovative technology ecosystem provides flexible and on-demand places to support convenience, functionality, and well-being.

What kind of technology are you implementing?

This pandemic has made the contactless tech necessity for workspace providers, which was early seen to be a good option. We have been investing in technology for a long time now. Whether it is our facial recognition system at the entrance or the fully loaded mobile app, Smartworks is ensuring members have a hassle-free experience even during these difficult times. Members can book our IoT-enabled Meeting rooms through the Smartworks app and also control the amenities inside such as light, TV & power through the in-built feature- no physical touch required.

Smartworks has the following technology interventions for day to day routine without any physical touch, all inbuilt into a mobile app –

• Ordering food or beverages from a conference room
• Raising a request for support,
• Real-Time feedback sharing,
• Humanoid for a contactless Visitor Management system,
• E-Concierge services

From mobile-based touch-less building access to health self-declaration forms, facility fumigation and deep cleaning updates, and all-important announcements /notifications, Smart