In early 2020, most of the world shut down to an extent that hadn’t been seen in over a century. The COVID-19 pandemic caused business to close their doors to protect customers and employees from contagion, which had a serious effect on the economy – but it could have been worse. The difference between the 21st century COVID-19 pandemic and, for example, the 1918 Spanish flu, is that the technology now exists that allows many people to work from home, keeping companies up and running while employees remain safe. This technology largely stems from one thing – the cloud.
MIT Technology Review Insights, in association with Oracle, recently surveyed 860 business professionals to discover how companies across the world conduct strategic enterprise planning in times of upheaval. The executives surveyed came from a variety of departments including finance, human resources, supply chain and logistics, and information technology. The results showed that 55% of businesses surveyed had accelerated their adoption of cloud-based technologies and services during the pandemic.
One of the most obvious benefits of cloud technology is that it allows employees to work remotely, accessing and sharing data from the safety of their own homes. However, businesses’ success is tied to the cloud in many other ways as well. Especially in uncertain times, collaboration is key, and, as the MIT/Oracle report points out, data cannot exist in silos if collaboration is to succeed. All departments must be able to communicate and share information easily and – especially as more and more companies see their employees working from across the world – at any time.
This may seem daunting, especially in larger companies, but Dassault Systèmes is a perfect example of how cloud technology can keep a large, multinational company running smoothly. Dassault Systèmes’ workforce is spread across the globe, relying on the cloud for collaboration and data-sharing at any time, anywhere. In addition, Dassault Systèmes enables other companies to succeed through 3DEXPERIENCE on the cloud, an all-in-one solution that provides access to a portfolio of enterprise-level technologies such as SIMULIA, CATIA, DELMIA and ENOVIA.
In 2021, Dassault Systèmes will be offering numerous improvements and enhancements to its cloud offerings, including the following:
- More roles with embedded simulation capability, with more cores of embedded compute delivering more power for realistic simulation with no price increase
- The cost of cloud IT services for physics simulation and results visualization are now included in many roles at the same role price
- More affordable scaling up of compute power for large simulations beyond what is embedded
- More disciplines available for cloud compute via Power’By
- One token and one credit to be used across all disciplines
Dassault Systèmes’ cloud services allow users to connect with each other as well as stay organized with all needed tools on a single platform. Three quarters of respondents to the MIT/Oracle survey replied that they expect connected enterprise planning, which combines financial, operational and workforce planning with cloud-based Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and prescriptive analytics, to improve collaboration and decision-making.
While cloud-based work environments existed well before COVID-19 hit, the pandemic has pushed more companies than ever into adopting cloud technologies. These changes are likely to continue having positive impacts on businesses long after the pandemic has ended.
Many people worry that the world will never get back to the way it was before COVID-19. It may not, but is that necessarily such a bad thing? The pandemic has forced companies everywhere to examine new ways of working and to implement technologically advanced strategies that will likely give them competitive advantages for years to come. “The new normal” is a phrase that gets tossed around a lot as both a positive and negative thing, but when it comes to technology, the changes are highly positive. With the cloud at Dassault Systèmes, companies can stay at the forefront of enterprise planning and collaborative communication, both during the pandemic and beyond.
Learn more about SIMULIA’s solutions for minimizing COVID-19 risk here.
SIMULIA offers an advanced simulation product portfolio, including Abaqus, Isight, fe-safe, Tosca, Simpoe-Mold, SIMPACK, CST Studio Suite, XFlow, PowerFLOW and more. The SIMULIA Community is the place to find the latest resources for SIMULIA software and to collaborate with other users. The key that unlocks the door of innovative thinking and knowledge building, the SIMULIA Community provides you with the tools you need to expand your knowledge, whenever and wherever.
Clare Scott is a SIMULIA Creative Content Advocacy Specialist at Dassault Systèmes. Prior to her work here, she wrote about the additive manufacturing industry for 3DPrint.com. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Hiram College and a Master of Arts from University College Dublin. Clare works out of Dassault Systèmes’ Cleveland, Ohio office and enjoys reading, acting in local theatre and spending time outdoors.