By Michael Young, Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, Dell Technologies
COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it. It’s forced parents to become teachers, enterprises to shift business models as well as turned ships and convention centers into hospitals. It’s allowed us to push technology to new limits as it kept people safe, helped business stay open, kept culture alive and comforted us in the face of great uncertainty. It’s also exacerbated cracks in our society – gaps in access to technology, infrastructure, education, healthcare and economic security.
As countries, communities and businesses struggle to recover while addressing the growing concerns around social injustice, it gives us an opportunity to reimagine what a better world could look like. The current environment has shown the need for governments and businesses to innovate and organize themselves to adapt as well as respond rapidly to unforeseen external pressures. This moment has significantly accelerated what already was a growing trend of digital transformation.
A Path Forward for Policymakers
The disruption caused by the current environment offers policymakers around the world the unique opportunity to fully adopt and utilize digital technologies, such as tele-health, tele-work and remote learning solutions, and strengthen their resilience and competitive posture.
As Dell Technologies continues to develop and provide innovative and empowering technology solutions, we are mindful of both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with such powerful tools. Our insights and experience as a global leader in applying emerging technology solutions to improve lives have informed our view on how governments should approach their next steps in a path forward. We believe governments have a responsibility to boost digital infrastructure, as connectivity has become ever more vital for all of us – big businesses and entrepreneurs, universities and schools, families and individuals, in metropolises and rural communities – to continue to function at a distance. Governments also should work with the private sector to ensure privacy protection and cybersecurity, as new paths of communication and work environments have highlighted increased risk of cyber attacks. To enhance innovation, governments should foster an environment for businesses to create jobs, for entrepreneurs to create new opportunities, for a data-driven economy to realize its full potential, and for everyone to have access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity.
Policymakers and businesses are recognizing that this situation has three phases, each of which offer the opportunity for governments to make progress:
- Respond by adopting immediate relief measures to safeguard the economy and public health;
- Recover by developing medium-term measures to activate an economic rebound; and
- Reimagine by transforming how we work, learn, heal, create, and play.
Read our full whitepaper on “Accelerating Digital Transformation in 2020: A Path Forward for Policymakers” which outlines our view of accelerating convergence of technology, innovation and new opportunities for all. We look forward to working with governments across the globe to assist in undertaking their digital transformation to address humanity’s greatest challenges.