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The importance for a robust, digital-led enterprise strategy (Includes interview)

Businesses are now experiencing something unprecedented in the world. The situation in which we find ourselves today is something most of people have never imagined. The coronavirus pandemic threatens our health, has upended the economy and has led to growing isolation. Yet, amid the social distancing, technology enables us to stay connected.

According to Vikas Vijaywargiya, Zensar CIO: “Technology has become the fulcrum of everything around us. You could argue that was already the case before the coronavirus hit. But we can all agree COVID-19 takes that to a whole new level. And this new reality is prompting businesses to optimize their technological resources.”

He adds that: “As the CIO of a global company for which remote sites and customer locations are paramount to our business continuity, here are my recommendations on how to do that.”

To find more, Digital Journal posed Vijaywargiya some key questions.

DJ: How can businesses implement a short-term, customized IT strategy?

Vijaywargiya: Adopt customer- and employee-centric strategies that work in cohesion. Ensure remote working frameworks are in place. Scale up IT infrastructure and adhere to security guidelines and standards. Effective communication to play a key role on measures we take, to enable our global employees and customers.

Explain to customers what you’re doing to keep IT systems up and running to ensure business continuity. And communicate the details of your disaster recovery (DR) plan.

DJ: How can companies ensure management alignment?

Vijaywargiya:Get leaders across all functions on the same page to ensure they support the IT and remote work strategies and understand the risk implications of the current situation. Also, empower business leaders with regular and frequent updates from the CIO organization on all initiatives as they are implemented. And align budgets where necessary to ensure that all remote workers have the support they need to perform at their optimal levels.

DJ: How to monitor the environment and allow for timely course correction?

Vijaywargiya:Be flexible in monitoring, but also take stock of issues that may need immediate attention. This ensures proactive incident management. Plus, it allows for a strong BCP protocol.

DJ: How can firms adopt a one-view approach?

Vijaywargiya:In today’s digital world, which is more important than ever, a one-view platform is key to allow senior management teams to view customer projects, understand how teams are performing in these trying circumstances and assess whether intervention is required. Such platforms allow people to obtain crucial guidance and business leaders to make swift decisions.

Today’s unique situation highlights the importance of building digital workplace strategies and supplier ecosystems that work during good times and bad.

Those strategies should include business continuity planning and DR awareness training across the IT organization. Such training across as a larger group of teams can work to make BCP and DR efforts even more seamless and productive.
The turbulent environment created by the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrates that unexpected – and sometimes life, work and world-changing – things sometimes happen. And it illustrates the need for robust, digital-led enterprise strategies, which are needed more than ever before.

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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