Need for a unified experience in the hybrid era

At the Dataquest Leadership Conclave held at New Delhi’s Hyatt Regency on June 8, there was a panel discussion on “Technologies for the digital next workplace”. The participants were Sharad Agarwal, CIO, JK Tyres & Industries, Irshad Saifi, CIO, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., Nitin Kohli, VP and Head, Key Accounts, Spectra, and Triveni Rabindraraj, India Sales Head, GoTo.

Sharad Agarwal, JK Tyres, said some new sessions in manufacturing will be virtual. Irshad Saifi, CIO, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, agreed. Now also, people are hesitant to work from the office. Initially, we are looking at a hybrid model today. Some manufacturers did not agree to WFH. After 5 years, we will have to wait and watch. We have to be prepared for disruptions.

Nitin Kohli, Spectra, said that the hybrid mode is here to stay. Verticals like healthcare would largely be virtual, and hybrid. We need to ensure data security. We also need to have a unified experience. We will see increased focus and reliance on manageability, etc.

Triveni Rabindraraj, GoTo, said that we are having some crises. We also don't know what will happen tomorrow, but we need adaptability. Every organization has tried to accept the cloud in the pandemic. Security will be here for a long time. It has got due credit.

Sharad Agarwal, JK Tyres, said the challenge is immense for the hybrid world. We can build the digital twin. Everything also has to be trained in ML. We will have to build analytics, ML, etc., along with AI. Intelligent things such as robots and cobots may come. We have to use the workforce optimally. We need to have work for everyone.

Saifi at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas said we need to see the hybrid challenges and experiences. There are various apps on the hybrid cloud. VC will be used for communications. Today, people have settled in very well. When they come to office, there are setups, with Teams and Zoom, along with some physical presence. It is an area for some improvement. We need to have VC pods to improve the experiences.

Nitin Kohli, Spectra, said new solutions are being arrived at. There are also new VC solutions. Data security also has challenges. There are solutions at the Edge. Solutions are being worked upon. We have sailed through two years working remotely, thanks to technology.

Triveni Rabindraraj, GoTo, said that we need to do reskilling. Connectivity is going to be the big thing. Organizations will also need to invest in connectivity. GoTo Meeting, Zoom, and Teams are going to be important. We are trying to see how we can reduce the load on the bandwidth. For VC sessions, we also have small breakout rooms.

Sharad Agarwal, JK Tyres, said the digital quotient will be very important. DQ would be the new measure for everyone. Skills would be around digital, such as AI/ML, etc. We need to be more digitally literate. Irshad Saifi, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, added that the IT teams have been supporting remotely for a long time. We need to do the upskilling of individuals in all the technology areas. Metaverse may come, as can blockchain. Culture of digitization will be important.

Nitin Kohli, Spectra, said that digital transformation has been unbelievable in the last two years. The process has already begun. Outsourcing on its own will not create a new requirement. Organizations have to see more efficiency there. Triveni Rabindraraj, GoTo, said that the illiterate are those who unlearn, relearn, and keep learning.

Shubhendu Parth, former editor, CyberMedia, Co-founder and Head, Content, Radius Think Tank, was the moderator. The theme of the conclave was Let’s Transform at Scale with NeXtGen Tech and featured the 29th ICT Business Awards show.