ADAPTING
TO THE NEW
WORKING MODEL
As we continue to navigate through uncharted waters
during the global pandemic, organisations across the globe
are recognising that the abrupt changes that have been
made to the way we work may not be short-term. But what
challenges do businesses need to overcome to ensure they
have a robust remote working strategy in place? And how
can they improve their current models to prioritise security
and efficiency? Glyn Yates, Country Manager, IMEA region,
Matrix42, tells us more.
e can all agree
W
these are
unprecedented
times – COVID-19
has forced a shift
not only in our
daily lives, with the
safety of our loved ones and the wider
community being the priority, but also
in the way we do business. It has been
a major force behind the rethinking of
organisations’ operational infrastructure,
with thoughts focused on today’s nearterm
pressures and the implications for
mid and long-term strategies.
How far had the remote working
model been widely adopted prior
to COVID-19?
It is said ‘the only constant is change’,
however the rate of change isn’t constant
and today’s rate of change is exponential.
Pre-COVID, remote working was always
a ‘nice to have’ employed by some, but
it was said that it would never replace
office-based or face-to-face interactions.
Even with the most obvious benefits
of reducing travel costs, the business
community still valued a plane, a taxi, a
hotel, another taxi, a boardroom and a
coffee over a conference call.
There’s no doubt that face-to-face
interaction leads and supports the
development of business relationships in
and around a ‘meeting’, while interaction
with our teammates on the next desk
helps company operations run smoothly.
The prevalence of remote working was
restricted to those who needed to, and
the rest were to carry on as they had
done for the last 15–20 years.
Many companies simply didn’t have a
remote working infrastructure or culture,
Glyn Yates, Country Manager, IMEA
region, Matrix42
while others operated remote working
as an exception rather than the rule.
Then along came COVID-19 and the
world changed.
Within weeks of the first cases, and to
this date, remote working and ‘work from
home’ (WFH) is the new normal, with all
companies having to adapt to the new
requirements for Business Continuity
(BC) – with many not having BC plans.
This presents both a major challenge
and a great opportunity.
What are some of the initial
hurdles that organisations need
to overcome to adapt to a remote
working model?
Remote working and work from home
(WFH) doesn’t just mean video calls and
collaboration, but is about being able to
62 Issue 25 | www.intelligentciso.com