From arts to politics, the pandemic will leave its mark on everything.

However, IT would be the first to experience radical changes as the world reshapes after the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some predictions on how technology will evolve after the current crisis is over.

Public Monitoring through Big Data Will Increase

Data has played a crucial role in the pandemic. Whether it’s examining the curve or enforcing social distancing protocols, governments have relied on the latest figures to strategize their every move.

South Korea used big data for smart contact tracing and was extremely successful in curtailing the spread of the virus. The country provides a model on how the world can collectively deal with pandemics in the future using big data.

Shopping Moves Online

In the pre-pandemic world, only 4% of Americans ordered groceries online. But in the second week of March, the demand for online groceries soared as many local stores had run out of essential items. Retailers selling groceries online had to work overtime to address this new spike in demand.

This will have a long-term impact. Consumers satisfied with their online grocery shopping would take a liking to this new option. Meanwhile, retailers that previously invested little resources into their online operations would approach eCommerce differently. This will drive them to invest in their logistics and delivery systems as they’d be wary of changing customer preferences and the possibility of any future pandemic.

Remote Working Goes Mainstream

One of the biggest effects of coronavirus has been an increase in the number of people working from home. An MIT survey of 25,000 American employees discovered that 34% of workers who had been employed four weeks earlier were currently working from home. Combined with this, 15% claimed they had been working remotely since before COVID-19.

Based on this data, nearly half of America’s workforce now consists of remote workers and this includes individuals 55 and older. Of course, many companies will prefer to have their staff in the office but some organizations might have gained a new perspective on remote work.

Google and Facebook have extended their work from home options to 2021. These tech giants will inspire many other industry players to be laxer with their remote work policies and in doing so, they will discover the benefits of not letting physical barriers dictate the talent their company can acquire.

It may be the case that many businesses will find the presence of an office unnecessary in a post-coronavirus world.

The world is currently experiencing a crisis that is unprecedented in modern times. While the pandemic will change life from here on out, one can hope that all these changes will be for the better.