At the start of the pandemic, video conferencing apps were seen as a lifeline to support remote workers. Now, CIOs are shifting investments from platforms like Zoom to technologies including artificial intelligence and automation, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 6.
"The foundation of our remote-working infrastructure and videoconferencing capabilities are firmly in place and have been for a while now," David Vidoni, vice president of IT at Cambridge, Mass.-based software company Pegasystems, told the publication. "Now it's just a matter of smartly integrating those tools with all our other digital transformation initiatives going forward across the business."
Five details:
1. Zoom's video conferencing tool became one of the go-to apps for companies quickly shifting to remote work at the start of the pandemic. In April 2020, the company's online traffic skyrocketed to 300 million daily participants, up from 10 million in December 2019.
2. Throughout the pandemic, Zoom's competitors including Google and Microsoft have rolled out new features and functions for their video conferencing platforms, which are integrated with full suites of core business apps.
3. Zoom has rolled out new features for its platform over the past year, including a digital whiteboard that can be used before and after meetings, as well as real-time automated translations, said Gary Sorrentino, deputy CIO of Zoom.
4. CIOs today must face the challenge of deploying technologies that support new work models such as hybrid strategies, which weren't as popular before the pandemic. "Single apps can no longer keep up with the flexibility and agility to adapt as employees evolve."
5. Addressing new work models will require more flexible, engaging and comprehensive software options "instead of siloed offerings," Mr. Sorrentino said.