26 Apr 2020

Collaboration Takes on New Importance as COVID-19 Pandemic Underlines Critical Need for Robust Connectivity

Dubai – As the business criticality of digital trust continues to rise, International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that, by 2021, the contribution of "digital coworkers" will increase by 35% as more tasks are automated and augmented by technology. IDC also predicts that, by 2024, enterprises with intelligent and collaborative work environments will see 30% lower staff turnover, 30% higher productivity, and 30% higher revenue per employee than their peers.

IDC’s research shows that during this current period of uncertainty brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic, proactive "digitally determined" organizations are experiencing minimal interruption to their day-to-day operations, ensuring business continues as usual. Integrating emerging technologies, adapting to the shifting work landscape, heightening digital trust, and harnessing the power of the hybrid cloud platforms are just some of the strategies being utilized to increase collaboration.

"Connectivity is the common denominator in how people, things, and processes interact today," says IDC's Jyoti Lalchandani, group vice president & regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META). "As digital interactions increase during this current period, it is becoming clear that connectivity is not yet seamless, nor pervasive. For consumers and organizations alike, the increased reliance on being digitally engaged requires ubiquitous, reliable, and robust connectivity."

IDC will expand on this guidance during a dedicated webinar for the Middle East region that will take place on Wednesday, May 20 under theme 'Future of Connectedness: Collaborating in the New Reality' . The webinar will showcase insights from collaboration pioneers, senior technology executives, and respected industry thought leaders as they offer advice on enacting resilient, long-term, digital infrastructures that can help facilitate game-changing future-of-work, future-of-intelligence, customer experience, and digital innovation strategies.

Combining informative presentations and interactive panel discussions, the webinar will provide more than 300 executives from a broad range of industries with the expert guidance required to effectively benchmark the current state of connectedness and collaboration within their own organizations. It will be followed on Wednesday, June 10 by a dedicated edition for the Africa region, with both events exploring the following topics:

• Robotic Process Automation: Challenges & Opportunities

• Hybrid Cloud: The Future of IT

• Hype or Reality: Advanced Analytics & AI

• Building a Future-Ready Digital Workforce

• Delivering Enterprise-Level Agility for the Cloud Era

• Collaboration Tools for Ecosystem Co-Creation

• Creating the Continuous Customer Experience

• A Blueprint for Security Transformation

• Devices for Productivity

• Resilient Infrastructure for Business Continuity

IDC is delighted to welcome Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, Epson, VMware, and Oracle on board as Platinum Partners for the Middle East edition of this webinar. To learn more about this exclusive online event and our wide range of partnership opportunities, please visit www.idc.com/event/futureofconnectedness or contact Sheila Manek at smanek@idc.com / +971 4 446 3154. You can also search for news or tweet about the event using the hashtag #IDCDigital .