COVID-19 has had a significant impact on digital transformation, accelerating the pace of adoption, with cloud as an enabler – and access to applications that are relevant to the current world in which we find ourselves is critical. Donna Mostert, Huawei line of business manager at Mustek, says: “Innovative companies will take advantage of these new resources and reinvent themselves as unstoppable forces in their markets. Those who do not take advantage of this revolution will become quickly outdated, perhaps out of business.”
As the world tackles an unprecedented crisis, at such times, collaboration is key – and technology can help. From effective COVID-19 monitoring measures, to videoconferencing that enables telemedicine and other forms of remote working, the advantages and capabilities of 5G, cloud, big data and AI combine to offer tangible outcomes for business and society as a whole.
Michael Langeveld, Vice-President of the Africa Cloud Business at Huawei, says there are three value propositions emerging from this. Firstly, businesses need to have local access to foundational IT services on which to build locally relevant applications; this is a critical component to make the technology platform affordable and to deliver applications that drive business or societal benefits. Then there needs to be increased focus on assisting SMEs so that they can compete on an equal footing against some of the bigger players in their industry. So, for instance, if an SME develops an application that can assist business in their digitisation journey, they need a platform on which their application can be provided as a service to end-users without having to concern themselves with the provisioning and maintenance of the underlying infrastructure. This gives companies access to African solutions to African problems in an agile and cost-effective manner.
Then, finally, all businesses are under significant financial pressure at the moment, so may well have to choose between buying a server and letting an employee go simply because they can’t afford both. During this difficult time, helping customers reduce their ICT spend could make a significant difference, says Langeveld. “This is our new reality: all businesses are facing a big push to reduce their spend while increasing their digitisation drive.”
Mostert says: “In these budget-conscious times, there’s intense pressure to reduce the cost of acquisition and maintenance of software solutions. Businesses want a far more tangible relationship between software's benefit and its cost, which has also been apparent in the open source movement of the last 10 years, and cloud computing is really an extension of that trend. They also want greater predictability of the running costs of the organisation's software solutions, and to only pay for the functions that they use.”
The cloud has a vital role to play in increasing the world’s level of ‘connectedness’, critical when it comes to battling a global pandemic. “The cloud world is all about connectedness,” says Langeveld, “and it takes various forms. It connects customers with local partners, it connects them to the right solution, and, ultimately, it connects them with the right OEM.”
“During the COVID-19 period, a number of solutions have come to the fore to play a vital role. Two areas in which we’ve seen massive development has been around COVID-19 diagnosis solutions and digital learning platforms.”
Around the world, access to sufficient testing kits has been a massive issue and the rate of false results has been relatively high. The psychological impact on the individual – let alone the lack of accurate data – cannot be over-estimated. One application that has made significant inroads on these issues is one that requires a CT scan and provides a positive or negative result in a matter of seconds, using machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Another area in which applications and the cloud are making a big difference is in education. Langeveld says: “There’s a huge gap between the educational experiences of different economic sectors of our population, and technology has the ability to narrow the divide. So while the notion of online learning is, in theory, a good one, it’s just not accessible to everyone. A blended learning approach, where learners can be online either at home or at school, provides access to good quality education without the teacher having to be physically present. Zero rating educational Web sites, providing content that can be accessed via a smartphone and sponsoring data can all make a significant difference to public sector education.”
Both of these examples show how cloud access can be used to assist society, particularly during difficult periods. However, an important point to note, says Langeveld, is that cloud computing needs to be open. “Tech giants love proprietary software, but I’m a firm believer in open source in all of its forms. It’s also vital that the solution be scalable and highly available.”
Another critical point that he raises is the importance of cyber security. “In this new world, it’s essential to defend yourself against cyber attacks. As businesses move into a digital cloud world, the attack surface is so much larger. Defending your networks and data may not be your core business, but you still need to do it. It makes good business sense to leverage a platform that does this on your behalf as a service, to ensure you’re protected without having to make massive investments in cyber security.”
Mostert agrees, saying: “IT managers must learn how to give as well as take information in this shareable environment, while still protecting their company's interests.”
While the so-called new normal is perceived in a negative light by some, there are some positive aspects, continues Langeveld. For instance, when you think about the future of cloud, businesses can experiment with new business models as a service – and move forward with these virtually overnight. This type of capability can have a material impact on business survival. Businesses also need to consider opex approaches to business expenses as opposed to capex contracts, paying only for what they use, and commit to payments in local currency instead of hedging against the weakening rand, all of which assists with cash flow.
Another important consideration is the democratisation of machine learning and artificial intelligence so that everyone can access these technologies – even businesses that don’t have access to the required skills. SMEs now have access to technology previously available to large enterprises only; this can allow for more SMEs to play an active role in stimulating the country’s economy. And on the subject of skills, IT companies should be providing training that’s free of charge so that SMEs in particular can upskill themselves. “We need to start adding value to customers, partners and society at large. It’s the responsible and ethical thing to do,” he concludes.
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