The pandemic may have upended the lives of people worldwide, but it also saw an increase in the use of technologies that made life easier for everyone. People will continue these technologies even the pandemic will end.
With around 240 million vaccines administered by the authorities, we can safely say that the end of the pandemic may be coming soon. As a result, the lives of people will slowly go back to normal. Here are some technologies we can expect once the pandemic ends.
Faster Drug Development
The development of several vaccines for Covid-19 shows that drug manufacturers can quickly develop drugs for different ailments. It may have taken a health crisis to prompt drug manufacturers, but it shows that they can work fast in creating vaccines against different diseases.
Researchers also used technology to hasten the development by shifting to virtual communication as they consulted and collected data online. The use of remote clinical trials and other adjustments in drug development may likely become a permanent part of the industry.
Different pharmaceutical companies from the US, Europe, China, and Russia worked fast to develop their versions of the vaccine. Some of these companies used similar approaches in designing their vaccines. While the efficacy rates of the vaccines differ from each other, each one of them is meant to reduce the effects of the virus in case they get infected.
Increased Use of Cloud Computing
More businesses will likely get the services of cloud computing companies to increase their productivity while reducing capital expenses. Instead of setting up their servers in their locations, these businesses will take advantage of the different offers of these companies, which may include IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and SaaS (Software as a Service).
Aside from reducing their capital expenses, businesses can focus on their day-to-day operations. The businesses will also avoid any downtimes since Companies offering these services typically have a server room UPS to ensure that their servers are well-protected from unforeseen circumstances and to eliminate downtime for their clients.
Additionally, these services also allow businesses to function even if their employees work remotely since they can easily access the database of tools of the business through the cloud. This means these services are scalable solutions for businesses looking to expand in the future.
Continued Remote Work Arrangements
The pandemic compelled many businesses to ask their employees to work from home to prevent the spread of the virus. This development increased businesses’ reliance on cloud computing companies that gave their employees access to the database and tools the business uses. It also increased the use of videoconferencing software that allowed businesses to virtually hold meetings with their employees.
Initially, businesses and employees may have found the remote arrangement challenging. But after they got used to the arrangements, both the business and employees appreciated the advantages offered by the work-from-home arrangements.
The business did not need to spend too much on overhead costs such as office rentals and expenses for utilities. The companies offering IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS also allowed the businesses to easily scale up their operations by offering additional online tools they can use for their day-to-day operations.
On the other hand, the employees may have loved the fact that they did not need to commute to work every day. This gave them more time for rest and saved on commuting or gas expenses. They also reduced their food expenses since they did not need to buy lunch while at work. They can prepare it in their kitchens. The arrangement also allowed them to spend more quality time with their families.
Due to the changes in the work arrangements, many businesses will likely not ask their employees to work on-site. They may also opt to reduce the office space they are renting to save on expenses.
Increased Use of Contactless Payments
When the pandemic happened, people were wary about coming into contact with people who were not a part of their household. This gave rise to the increase in the use of contactless payment options across the country. The pandemic encouraged around 70 percent of US consumers to pay for merchandise using contactless options.
And even after the pandemic will end, people will likely continue using mobile wallets, NFC cards, and QR codes when they pay in the stores. This makes their shopping experience convenient and easy. Amazon highlights this convenience through its Go stores, where there are no checkout counters. Customers can get the products and go since they will receive the billing through their Amazon accounts.
Despite the many drawbacks caused by the pandemic, people can look forward to upcoming trends that emerged due to the health crisis.
