Virtualization Benefits in Times of a Pandemic

Virtualization Benefits in Times of a Pandemic

The devastating results of the COVID-19 pandemic, otherwise known as Coronavirus, are well known and far reaching. The Coronavirus has touched every corner of the globe and has left its footprint everywhere, affecting nearly every part of daily life. School closings, sports cancellations, and limits on gatherings are just some of the many ways Coronavirus has negatively affected daily life. It has left some to wonder when things will get back to normal, or if “back to normal” will ever be possible. However, along with these negative impacts, come some clear-cut benefits as a direct result of the virus.

With the vast majority of companies and businesses electing to go remote, the benefits and potential of this new business model are limitless. Electing to go completely remote can drastically cut costs for a company by saving on office space, supplies, and many positions vital for an office but not remote work such as secretaries. In addition, the cost of travel for business meetings can be completely cut out by virtualizing and choosing to make such meetings remote. There is also the potential to have meetings become more accessible and include more people by utilizing products such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In an office with limited space only a certain number of people can be in a meeting at any given time. By having meetings online from home, an infinite amount of people can be able to brainstorm and share ideas remotely. Being late to work or an important meeting because of traffic or for a number of other reasons can become a problem of the past by virtualizing business activities. Though company outings as a means of building comradery within an office may no longer be feasible, this could result in higher salaries for employees due to the vast reduction in costs to businesses. Many companies never realized the true potential of remote work until it was forced on them by the pandemic.

Coronavirus has unveiled ways for businesses to cut costs while promoting creativity and team building, but there are more obvious benefits as well. Not only to employees, but the general public as well. By virtualizing operations and life as a whole, the costs associated with travel and work can be cut into a fraction of what they once were. Weekly and monthly savings on things such as gas and general car upkeep costs, in addition to reducing car mileage, all play a factor. The savings keep adding up when considering that the costs of eating out at restaurants versus making food at home can be cut out.

For businesses, the cost reductions for general operations keep coming. With virtualization seeming to be the future of how business is run, companies can soon plan major expansions in a much more cost-efficient way. Since the amount of office space businesses need for day to day operations will likely diminish drastically in the coming years, companies can plan to buy less space for cheaper. This allows for an immense reduction to capital expenditure while making expansion cheaper and more seamless. Money once spent on large office spaces can be spent on other areas of a company’s operations. Other industry savings include reducing the cost of replacing hardware every six years to near zero since it will likely all be in the cloud. Avoiding this cost will also force employees to buy and maintain their own personal computer, furloughing the cost of buying office computers for every employee.

It is now more important than ever for businesses with customer experience at the forefront of their business model to strategize and implement tactics to grow their online presence and virtualize operations. With more people than ever before spending money from the comfort of their own home, online presence in an ever-evolving market has become the key to prolonged business success. For the many companies whose business model revolved around customer experience, they are facing many questions about the future of their business. To avoid bankruptcy, many brick and mortar stores, as well chain restaurants, must strategize ways to virtualize their business. The potential reward for companies that implement such strategies effectively can be astronomical. The internet allows businesses to reach a much broader customer base, allowing for a much broader source of revenue. It is much easier to gain online presence and get customers to click on a link, then to drive to a store and shop. Benefits for companies like these will become clearer in the coming years as some are forced out of business, and others reach heights they never knew to be possible.

Although the Coronavirus has had an impact on every part of daily life, it has revealed benefits previously unbeknownst to many. Coronavirus has proven that there are many benefits to virtualizing parts of business and daily life. Reducing costs to businesses, avoiding tardiness, allowing for a broader exchange of ideas, and developing a more expansive business and customer base are just some of the many benefits to going virtual. 

With regards to how businesses have operated for centuries, so many drastic changes to the marketplace beg the question; is this the beginning of the end for the commercial office-space market?

To learn more about virtualizing your environment so that your company can function with team members working from anywhere visit https://www.earthnet.net/services/cloud-services/private-cloud-hosting/ or write us for free consultations.