At the beginning of June, I recorded a Cloud Insiders podcast with Stuart Robinson from Xtravirt which we published and titled “The New Business as Usual”. We explored how business and IT could respond in a post pandemic world, recognising that there would be no standard experience – industry, nationality and culture will all exert different influences in the coming months.
As time moves on, the term “new normal” is increasingly used to define a place we will reach beyond lockdown. A cacophony of commentary supported by models, pictures, grids and slide decks is being produced, each of which offers a slightly different lens through which the market, industries or organisations can be mapped, differentiated and labelled, tying each to a set of statements which perfectly describes their position.
Only it doesn’t have to be that way. Why do we feel the need to assign a definition, to tag each business with a pre-defined label…?
Organisations which survive the first half of 2020 will have had to change and evolve. Whether that was achieved by ruthless focus, rapid decision making, innovation, adaptation or creativity is less relevant. Businesses evaluated the situation and responded.
Perhaps there is no “new normal”. Learning to evolve and change at a rapid pace should mean that labels can be temporary, a point in time reflection rather than a statement of future capability. As we exit lockdown, one of our challenges and opportunities will be to identify how to maintain this evolutionary momentum. As those who have been furloughed resume their roles and employees return to the workplace, perhaps there is a growing risk that we return to the old normal.
IT departments will both influence and respond to business strategy and this will continue to direct how teams are best deployed to drive innovation and success in the months ahead. Here at Xtravirt our cloud consulting and managed services business has always believed in thinking beyond the expected – we do not limit opportunities by using a box on a grid to define our future or that of our customers.
If you enjoyed this short blog from Robin Gardner, Xtravirt Strategic Services Director, then why not take a listen to his podcast “The New Business As Usual”