Report:
2020 Insight Intelligent Technology Pulse: The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Readiness
IT professionals within enterprise organizations reveal the challenges they had to overcome to ensure business continuity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — and how they’re now thinking about the future of their IT.
For many, business continuity plans fell short.
The initial impact of COVID-19 sent most enterprise IT teams scrambling to rapidly enable a remote workforce and implement multiple changes at once. Among other immediate priorities, 40% of organizations had to develop or refine a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and 15% were ultimately “not successful.”
However, many enterprises were able to adapt. The majority (55%) had to swiftly enable a remote workforce, and 24% managed to do so with zero downtime. Overall, companies had to implement an average of 4.4 IT changes in their initial response to COVID-19.
“A company’s ability to survive any situation depends on its ability to innovate.”
— Survey respondent
Reacting and adapting for a new way forward
Our report examines the impacts on IT in three phases: the reactive state, reflective state and finally, how enterprise IT is preparing to adjust to a ‘new normal.’
Business readiness
54% were not well prepared to handle IT business changes as a result of COVID-19.
Changing priorities
49% report their IT priorities have been “very” or “extremely impacted” by the pandemic.
Lessons learned
65% believe their company IT is now “very” or “extremely prepared” to handle a similar situation.
New priorities and expanded responsibilities for IT
It’s clear by now that many of the solutions intended as a “quick fix” will not be temporary. IT leaders express greater flexibility for IT budgets, proactive user training for new software and the continued refinement of their BCP as lessons learned. And an overwhelming 79% of IT professionals expect IT to take on a “somewhat” or “significantly greater” role within the organization.
“Everything is important when it comes to IT, and you never know when it will be called upon to save your company.”
— Survey respondent
About the report
The “2020 Insight Intelligent Technology Pulse: The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Readiness” is a culmination of industry research and an online survey of 200 IT professionals in the U.S. and Canada working at enterprise companies with at least 1,000 employees. This report is intended to provide an aggregate view of the ways in which IT teams responded and adapted to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Related content
- The Impacts of COVID-19 on Enterprise IT infographic
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