Covid-19 has helped accelerate remote management trend: Karen Ravindranath

The coronavirus has thrown day-to-day operation of companies out of order. The extended nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the virus has forced companies to close their doors, and firms that offer IoT (Internet of Things) services are helping companies deal with the changes and ensuring business continuity.

"Cloud streaming, SaaS and remote infrastructure management of both IT and non-IT assets can ensure business continuity," says Karen Ravindranath, Director, WebNMS.

WebNMS, the enterprise IoT division of Zoho Corporation, provides end- to- end services like Edge computing, IoT security, storage, analytics, and proactive maintenance and predictive maintenance.

Commenting on how remote work is beneficial to companies, she said, “Remote work, accessing and managing data irrespective of geographical limitations would be the most practical solution to the on-going crisis and even months later,” adding, “Businesses should have a plan in place to have meaningful orchestration of data across operations teams, core business teams and IT department to achieve seamless flow, significant human resource engagement and overall customer satisfaction.”

According to Karen, IT and business leaders are engaging in adopting IoT-powered solutions to establish continuous monitoring and communication with remote sites and assets, access data remotely and perform daily tasks without the need for human interference. This is essential when lockdowns have become a norm, not only in India, but also the world.

She says that IoT applications can also unify operational, business and financial data, which can help the management take decisions with clarity. It will also help companies cut labour costs, allow smooth functioning of critical operations, and enhance safety and accountability, she adds.

Coronavirus impact

“The coronavirus outbreak has been an accelerator of the remote management trend,” Ravindranath said. “Despite the slowdown around the globe, businesses have started to cope with the unprecedented change,” she said, adding that companies are adapting to remote work and centralized operations to cope with travel restrictions.

“This is when cloud streaming, SaaS and remote infrastructure management of both IT and non-IT assets will play a huge role in combating any slowdown and ensuring business continuity,” she added.

She said that data is the “greatest business enabler” and that IoT can comprehend data, manage and reproduce insights to drive operations from anywhere, which is not only important now, but will be critical in the future. “In fact, remote site management and centralization of operations will be the norm for future business operations,” Ravindranath said.

Stressing on the need for digitalisation, she said that the advent of industry 4.0, IoT will play a major role in connecting multiple systems and streamlining operations. This is especially true for manufacturing and large enterprise companies which need high levels of efficiency and effectiveness.

“This makes it essential for companies to go digital; digitisation can avoid human errors, reduce unwanted breakdowns, improve the transparency of operations and save rupees through cost optimization, Ravindranath said.

Embracing IoT

India, which is looking to increase its manufacturing capabilities, can gain with the fast adaptation of technology. The nation is undergoing rapid digitisation and even traditional businesses are moving away from pen and paper, to much more sophisticated software-driven applications, she said.  

IoT and data are fuelling digitization across industries. The manufacturing sector, which depends on efficiency and effectiveness, can use technology to avoid human errors, reduce unwanted breakdowns and improve cost optimization.

“There is a vast scope for digitization and data driven solutions across the manufacturing industries and other major business verticals,” she said. “IoT players will help the industries achieve unified and data driven operations instead of disparate and siloed ones,” Karen added.