Tech Advancements from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Everyone is aware of the negative impact that COVID-19 has on our world. The virus has killed 1.88 million people worldwide at the time this was written. The global economy is greatly suffering and will continue to suffer. Businesses are being forced to close. People are subject to lockdowns and regulatory measures. There is no shortage of drawbacks to this pandemic. 

Yet, with the world forced to adapt to this new physically-distanced mindset, many professions, companies, and public sector entities are evolving with technology. Most of the technologies we’re utilizing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were already available when it began, but now people around the world are forced to advance with them. Below are some tech advancements that will continue to change our world as the pandemic continues and even after it is over. 

Remote Work

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were so many companies operating on-site that didn’t need to. When the virus became more and more of a problem, these people were sent home to work. Not only does it save all of employees’ time and money commuting, it cuts down on in-office costs by thousands of dollars and increases productivity. With so many jobs that don’t need to be performed in the office, companies are embracing remote work.

Video Conferencing

When employees do need to interact, there has been a dramatic increase in video conferencing. Before the pandemic, few people knew what Zoom was. Now everyone knows the video conferencing program and a huge amount of people are using it to engage with other employees, hang out with friends, and do job interviews. Video conferencing was a technology we had long before COVID-19, but now we are just beginning to use it to its full potential. 

Virtual Training

In addition to video conferencing for job interviews, technology provides new ways to train employees. For example, you can receive all kinds of new training options, including virtual sales training and training for many online jobs. So many people are getting trained over the internet. With companies trying to decrease the amount of interactions between people, training is being done online in effective and successful ways. 

International Workforce

As companies switch to focusing on online employees, remote work, and virtual training, they are capable of hiring people from anywhere in the world. Not only can businesses hire employees from another part of the country, they can even look for people who are abroad. If a company is looking for the best candidate for the job, it doesn’t matter where they’re from anymore because people around the world are working remotely. This will also provide an advantage by having employees working around the clock in international time zones. Embracing technology continues to provide new advantages. 

Investing in Technology

With all of these obvious advantages provided by technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and individuals are investing in technology. As it becomes more integral for businesses around the world to communicate and work together online, new programs and software will help companies overcome obstacles. It isn’t just the private sector that’s investing in tech, the courts and medical industry are also adapting with technology.

Health and medical entities are using telemedicine and investing in it in new ways. The courts are holding virtual hearings and are transitioning to online documentation. The whole world is evolving in ways that utilize technology and work towards advancements despite the challenges. Private companies and the public sector are adapting and changing with the times. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a horribly tumultuous and turbulent time. Everything is uncertain and the economy is fragile. People are struggling with mental health issues, drug addiction, and isolation. Governments are taking unprecedented control with regulations and lockdowns. It isn’t all negative, however. 

We are using technology to beat these obstacles and create a more technologically savvy world. It is possible to get things done completely online and technology will continue to advance. One positive of the pandemic is that it has forced tech to advance more quickly. When we come out of this not only will we be stronger and more resilient we will have more advanced technology to facilitate the world of the future. If we do our best to make some positives out of all the negatives, we can create silver linings to this mess. 

Ryan Beitler is a journalist, writer, and blogger who has covered tech for a variety of publications. He has also written for Paste Magazine, The Slovenia Times, Deadline News, New Noise Magazine, and more. Reach him at [email protected]