The world teeters on the brink, straining under the weight of what has now been declared a global pandemic. COVID-19 otherwise known as the ‘Coronavirus’ has proven already that it has the capacity to shake the very core of societies throughout the world.
The U.S. is bracing for what it believes may just be a global catastrophe and other Western countries such as Australia and the UK are urging citizens to keep calm through nervously clenched teeth.
Stock markets are in serious decline with many volatile industries such as hospitality and travel looking to the sky and seeking some kind of divine intervention.
Yet with every disaster, there are always winners and this time it isn’t those supplying bandages and firearms as was usually the case in past.
No, this time it’s the tech companies who are riding the boon of Covid-19 fear and for once the wider world actually stands to benefit from their prosperity.
Coronavirus has sent shockwaves through many industries even since its relatively recent discovery, with it being estimated that millions of workers around the world are now either off work entirely or working from home.
But in the digital age, not being in the office does not mean that these employees aren’t still hard at work. A recent article by CNBC reported that videoconferencing software giant Zoom has brought in more active users in the first two months of this year than it did in the whole of 2019.
“The overall data traffic on the telcos network is expected to surge exponentially, as companies will interact virtually with their counterparts in the outbreak affected regions. A large section of these people will be discussing on videochat apps or other productivity software/platforms like WeChat, Skype and Zoom.” Sunil Kumar Verma, Lead ICT Analyst at GlobalData
Although comparative to the world’s population, the number of coronavirus cases are incredibly low, companies aren’t willing to take the chance and are dipping their feet (sometimes for the first time) into the collaborative software revolution.
On the surface, this doesn’t sound like anything more than established and aspiring tech companies taking advantage of a bad situation. However, it’s less about what they’re doing now, and instead what their actions have the potential to pave the way for in future that matters more than anything.
It’s a future that includes what can’t be described as anything other than digital herd immunity.
Where vaccines are the safeguard against disease amongst groups of people in close proximity. Digital collaborative software such as Zoom, Slack and even our own project Mindhive seek a different path to creating this safeguard.
By letting people stay apart, yet still go about their professional tasks with the same efficiency as they would in an office or on-site, the wider safety of a population is ensured.
Whether it’s video calls to discuss marketing strategies in times of crisis or simply logging essential internal work on time through the internet. The tech industry is proving that it can provide even in the direst global circumstances.
However, being forced to utilise systems that may be outside of established business practices has proven in past that it can be an incredibly divisive subject for many companies.
While huge tech players such as Microsoft are attempting to mitigate these teething problems by offering a generous trial of their premium service Microsoft Teams. No doubt many businesses will not be swayed by even the most well-intended offer.
Mindhive’s tech scale-up has seen a 750% growth in user sessions, a 660% jump in subscriptions and a 1900% increase in inbound interest since the outbreak of the COVID19 virus. It too is making the paid features in its Premium service free until July 1.
But without collaborative work software, the ability for companies to continue everyday business is put at risk every time a global occurrence such as Coronavirus reaches dangerous prevalence.
If humans have proved one thing through their continued existence, it’s that innovation, the acceptance of progressive thought and most importantly action takes precedence above all else in times of trial.
So then, as the world stares down the barrel of a potentially devastating outbreak, it’s becoming more and more clear that digital collaboration tools may be the innovation needed to overcome this latest threat.
What then is the future for collaborative work software in fighting pandemics?
Speaking for every tech company in the world would be a foolish pursuit, but to speculate using the unique position of Mindhive as a base, the next step is to ensure that collaborative work tools are used to ensure not only to promote productivity but safety as well.
Whether it’s working toward solutions that form a small part of a large whole. Or simply sharing knowledge that helps others in times of crisis, the potential for collaborative software to not only protect against global pandemics but also assist in building the foundations of how we react to future threats is one that can’t be ignored.