Remote work, Work From Home models now mainstream

By Alok Ohrie

THE YEAR 2020 has been a year of remarkable transformative initiatives, accelerated by infrastructure and network topology preparedness, ensuring seamless transition to secure remote work environments. Dell Technologies has always been ready to meet the needs of its customers, and the numbers at the close of the year demonstrates the trust our customers repose in us. With a strong Q3 cash flow generation of $3 billion and non-GAAP revenue of $23.52 billion reflecting a 3% YoY increase, we have innovated and launched more than 22 products for enterprises and our customers, with continued high growth and profitability.

The past months were marked with uncertainty but there was a strong showing in the industry for digital technology adoption, necessitated by the need to serve customers and maintain business continuity. Dell Technologies’ Digital Transformation Index for 2020, revealed that 94.7% of Indian organisations have fast-tracked digital transformation programmes this year and digital adopters in India have grown from 33.5% in 2018 to 55.3% in 2020, driven by external challenges.

Remote work and work from home models gained acceptance over the last decade in niche sectors and have now become mainstream across a host of industries. As businesses plan their path to economic recovery, they now accept these adaptations as irreversible and systemic changes to the work environment. The recent announcement by the government, allowing IT employees to work from home or anywhere remotely within the country, clearly recognises this transformed climate.

Greater autonomy, flexible working hours, better work-life balance and higher productivity are key incentives to adopt remote work paradigms. Dell Technologies embarked upon a flexible ‘Work from Home’ Policy, over a decade ago. Today we are one of the top 20 companies hiring remote workers, with nearly 60% of employees already working flexibly. Under a newly announced Connected Workplace 2.0 programme, we are extending this facility across countries, enabling team members with remote and hybrid schedules.

Across organisations, we envisage a new virtual workspace, enabling reach across geographies into Tier II and Tier III cities, leveraging the demographic dividend of the country. In line with Dell’s Progress Made Real 2030 goals, this would pave the way for a more inclusive, equitable and diverse workforce, with deeper social impact on human progress, upliftment and prosperity.

In 2021, emerging technologies such as data, hybrid-cloud, edge computing, 5G, cybersecurity and AI/ML will be the bedrock of reconstruction and economic growth. Multi-cloud environments combined with security of private clouds and compute power of public clouds, will become increasingly common as businesses demand flexible scaling of processes.

Over the next four years, we envisage 800% growth in edge applications, delivering faster data processing at low total cost of ownership. Automation and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) will enable us to delegate repetitive tasks to machines, clearing the path for humans to dive into more creative work. We will increasingly rely on AI for faster, deeper and more meaningful insights drawn from data. Data will span every aspect of the enterprise, from business intelligence and marketing to manufacturing. By 2023, 52% of the global GDP will be digital.

As we advance from response to recovery, the lessons learned highlights the need for global cooperation and a humane and empowered society that can be attained by deepening the reach of quality education, healthcare and gainful employment. As a responsible technology company, Dell is deeply conscious of climate change and depletion of natural resources. Based on our ‘2020 Legacy of Good’ plan, we are driving green engineering, recycling, rural healthcare and education. We have successfully completed more than 75% of our ambitious 2020 CSR targets, ahead of time.

The Dell Youth Learning programme aims to help underprivileged students develop life-skills through training in computers, environment studies, and civics. The programme reached 1.86 lakh youth directly and 1.26 lakh more youth and community members indirectly. The Dell Kaushal Kendra, a state-of-the-art computer lab, trains underprivileged youth on computer manufacturing, networking and repair. We have partnered with NITI Aayog to provide technology access to the underserved. Initiatives such as Tinker from Home, Student Entrepreneurship Programme, SheCodes Innovation Challenge and the likes have impacted more than 6,00,000 students and 27,000 teachers across India.

As we approach 2021, Dell continues to drive innovation through advanced technologies to create new sources of competitive advantage for our partners, mapping the route towards greater productivity and business value. We will strive relentlessly for a more equitable world where dignity and economic prosperity is assured for all.

The writer is president and managing director, Dell Technologies India