Here is the new article written by our Director and Co-Founder Javier Orús Lacort for the Economy and Business section of the Heraldo de Aragón, published on May 24, 2020.
We reproduce here the published text:
There is no doubt that Digitalization is proving to be a key factor in dealing with the crisis caused by the coronavirus, whether we analyze it from a Health, Social or Economic point of view. For a start, it has helped in many ways to be able to react more quickly and flexibly to the problems that have arisen in this situation: from helping to manufacture respirators and health protections, to being able to give some continuity to education or to make teleworking possible and thus not cause a much greater stoppage of activity.
Digitalization had already demonstrated many things before Covid-19, but now during the isolation, and especially when we gradually return to “normality”, it will clearly show that it is not only necessary, but also fundamental. Basically because this “normality” to which we will return is going to be a “new normality”, which will surely need Digital Technology more than ever. In fact, it is already becoming a lever for the fight against the virus and the longed-for reactivation of Society and the Economy.
From the health point of view, many initiatives are already being carried out to try to mitigate the spread of the virus as soon as possible, such as the alternative manufacture of medical equipment with 3D printing, or the development of mobile applications to analyze Geolocations and Bluetooth signals through Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. With these Apps it will be possible to know the proximity that each of us may have with possible sources of contagion, allowing us to minimize the spread of the virus and have greater control of the situation at all times. This mobility trace will also be used to evaluate possible simulations of pandemic outbreaks and to make future forecasts in order to make better decisions in this regard.
Analyzing it from a social point of view, we will have to apply a “physical” distancing for a long time, and many activities that we usually held in groups will be clearly impacted. In the Educational field alone, it will mean a revolution in the teaching methodology, which will have to be supported by Digital Platforms that allow classes to be taught at a distance. With their application at all educational levels, from schools to universities, it will be possible to keep up with the pace of life and study of students. But not only Education will have to rely on Technology: practically all collective Leisure activities, such as Cinema, Theater, Concerts, etc., will have to be consumed “in another way”, as it is already happening since the beginning of the confinement, and that way is through Digital tools. What is clearly positive is that we will still be able to maintain our usual social relationships, only that now they will be much more “virtual” than before.
From the Economic perspective, Digitalization was already a growth lever of the Economy before isolation, but from now on it is going to become a
fundamental component in the strategy of any organization. The mere possibility of teleworking normally for the maximum number of people in a company is already a full-fledged insurance policy against possible new situations like this. But this is not all, because if Digitalization helps companies in any way, it helps them to be increasingly efficient, both in terms of maximizing sales and minimizing costs, acting transversally in all areas. And this is what is going to be critical right now: to be much more efficient in order to survive the dreaded economic crisis that is looming.
Thus, the Digitalization of Society and Companies is not just here to stay, but has already been more than important for a long time. Organizations that had advanced their Digital Transformation before the crisis are being able to face it with relative guarantees. All the Digital Technologies allow to be much more flexible and to adapt to changes more quickly. And of course, from now on, flexibility and speed of action are going to be absolutely key and fundamental to be able to return to a certain degree of normality as soon as possible, both at the Health, Social and Economic levels.
