The Coronavirus pandemic is proving to be one of the most disruptive forces of our generation. In addition to being a prolific public health emergency that’s tragically cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, the economic implications have been vast and far-reaching.
As a result, companies of every size in nearly every sector are contending with a new financial reality. Shrinking consumer demand, decreased revenues, and increased costs associated with safety and cybersecurity, will collectively force organizations to assess their priorities and maximize their efficiency.
In this environment, optimizing workflows, mitigating pain points, and otherwise increasing agility will be critical to ensuring operational continuity and long-term success. These pain points extend to industrial control systems in critical industries such as Energy, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing and Transportation. Remote operations capacity, the ability to communicate and collaborate from anywhere and interact with these critical infrastructure systems, can help organizations gain new operational efficiencies.
Here’s how.
#1 Access and optimize a global talent pool.
Moving forward, it’s clear that a hybrid workforce that accommodates in-person, remote, and distributed teams will be a defining feature of the future of work.
To make this change successfully, teams will need more than a Zoom account and a Slack chat. They need to operate critical infrastructure, diagnose problems, implement solutions, and safely and securely collaborate with on-site employees. Most importantly, they need to be able to do this from anywhere at any time.
In doing so, companies gain access to a global cadre of ready professionals who will help address pressing problems with once inaccessible talent. Optimizing a global talent pool allows companies to access the most qualified from around the world, but, without the right tools, it’s a bottleneck with costly implications.
Whether you’re accommodating an international organization or hiring individual talent abroad, remote operations capacity is key to maximizing efficiency.
#2 Monitor and maintain decentralized and multi-site infrastructure.
Multi-site workspaces are especially difficult to manage during a pandemic. Not only is this work less tenable as safety restrictions and other measures can hinder travel and in-person meetings, but it’s profoundly inefficient.
Remote operations capacity equips employees to monitor and maintain infrastructure from anywhere, giving them the ability to:
- Centrally monitor on-site operations
- Diagnose and troubleshoot alarms and issues
- Instruct, guide, and dispatch on-site personnel
- Remotely operate, startup, and shutdown physical infrastructure.
This capacity can reduce travel and personnel costs while ensuring that critical infrastructure is optimized and well-run.
#3 Reduce costs associated with on-site facilities management.
Even for employees working on-site, remote operations capacity allows for new efficiencies that maximize growth and opportunity. For instance, this technology allows workers to easily collaborate with remote staff and experts.
Similarly, as social distancing protocols keep group meetings to a minimum, this technology ensures that organizations operate reliably with reduced on-site staffing. Most importantly, all employees – whether on-site or remote – can quickly and easily respond to incidents and real-time needs from anywhere.
Conclusion
As companies are forced to do more with less, the right tools can be the difference between flourishing and failure. Remote operations capacity isn’t the only ingredient for successfully navigating this challenging time, but it’s a powerful tool for maximizing efficiency without compromise.