Businesses are Preparing the Return to Activity

Almost two months after the start of the global lockdown, some parts of the world are slowly starting to reopen. People walk the streets and are allowed in stores again, albeit under strict social distancing guidelines. 

Business is ready to get back on track, but companies now face the double challenge of ramping up activity and adapting to a new normal. Last week we discussed how investing in IT is crucial to enterprise survival and recovery – this week we saw some positive signs confirming this trend.

Many multinational companies are hiring for their Indian offshore IT centres, while the country’s demand for senior positions related to digital transformation remains strong.  

As yesterday’s Harvard Business Review article reminds us, the key to digital transformation is talent, not technology.

Microsoft is doing more than well

It was not that long ago that Microsoft seemed destined to take a more secondary role in the future of enterprise technology. But the company bounced back.

This week was packed with news from the Redmond, Virginia company — from a 59% quarterly increase in cloud revenue to an upcoming update to its VMware Azure integration.

More about Microsoft’s momentum in our latest industry snapshot. Spoiler alert: you could win up to $200K if you beat the company’s new hacking challenge.

More on contact tracing

This week we got more details on the upcoming contact tracing technology that Apple and Google are developing to help fight the spread of COVID-19. 

Addressing what has been one of the most contentious points of debate, the duo said their app will not permit the use of location tracking. The full system, which is expected to be released mid-May, will rely instead on Bluetooth to safeguard user privacy. 

Meanwhile, the UK’s National Health System, started testing an app that uses a similar approach. 

The solution leverages (the ironically named) Bluetooth Low Energy handshakes to tell whether a person might have been in contact or not with an infected individual.

News from the frontlines

One more week, the tech world keeps up the fight against the pandemic. This week…

Cybercrime has spiked amidst global chaos and the rise of remote work. Regrettably, healthcare institutions are among the hardest hit. 

A group of security companies and professionals calling themselves the Cyber Alliance to Defend our Healthcare have struck deals to protect a series of hospitals and national health organisations across Europe. The U.S. will be their next area of focus.

Meanwhile, Ciaran Martin, chief of the UK’s National Cybersecurity Centre, has pledged to redouble the body’s efforts to protect the country’s hospitals and health system.