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Prediction n°1 - Widespread use of teleworking and hybrid working modes
The new world is hybrid, and the working environment will never return to what it was before 2020. Everywhere, telework will continue and become more widespread, even if it will not be full-time for everyone. Companies will have to re-imagine these spaces-time where the workforce becomes hybrid, connected, collaborative and communicating. In fact, new services and tools will emerge, from the web giants of course, but also from new, smaller, inventive players. Whether in terms of server access, edge solutions for increasingly distributed information systems, or the provision of up-to-date data, it is now important to plan for a future where localised confinement could be part of the natural life cycle for companies, such as climate change on the balance of the globe.

Prediction n°2 - Acceleration of the Cloud and SaaS with perverse effects to be anticipated
Clearly, it is the sectors and companies that had already achieved their digital transformation that have weathered the COVID-19 crisis best. The lesson has been heard loud and clear, the transfer of data to the Cloud and the adoption of applications in SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) mode will accelerate. Several studies, including the one carried out by Coleman Parkes in 2020 on the dilemma of innovation in ERP, anticipate the redistribution of IT budgets in favour of the consolidation-migration cloud and data integration triptych, including in France.
This growing adoption will lead to two perverse effects: the increased central role of Cloud service providers on the one hand, which, in the event of service disruption, could impact thousands or even millions of companies worldwide. And secondly, the increasing exposure of companies to the risk of cyber-attacks.

Prediction n°3 - Major shifts in investment, innovation and IT modernisation
With the economic recovery in China, Asia will gain a significant lead over Europe and America, creating a very significant imbalance in several sectors such as new technologies and trade. This will have many repercussions in the years to come. At this point, there is also a paradigm shift: new generations are defending new values such as the importance of protecting the planet and the need for an energy transition. This will help to increase the attractiveness of new technologies in the minds of investors.
As a direct effect of COVID-19 and budget cuts in Europe and the United States, companies risk postponing certain IS modernisation projects and classifying as non-priority certain developments initially considered as necessary.
This should be the case for compliance with the GDPR in Europe or the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) in the USA. As the regulatory authorities are themselves slowed down by the pandemic, they will tend to focus on the big players, which some have already anticipated. This is bad news for the protection of personal data, which could further weaken the overall level of security in companies.
In terms of IS infrastructure, certain "traditional" configurations of ERP or middleware type will not be able to support the business agility required to reboost the activity. With the postponement of major modernisation projects, it will be impossible to offer the speed of deployment and return on investment needed to hold up in tomorrow’s world. Some companies will have to make strategic choices to successfully transform their organisations in terms of technology, people and processes. They are not sure they will succeed if they don’t take the right directions for as-service infrastructure integration from the outset.

Prediction n°4 - Focus on mental well-being? Not so crazy!

It is likely that we will see more people of working age moving away from city centres and close suburbs to places further away from the office that are more ’pleasant’ and where property is cheaper.
In a future that is likely to be one of localised and shifting confinements, business strategies will take more account of employee activities and the data that flows from them, from hiring and onboarding to performance measurement that is managed remotely and reshaped by the uses and needs of "remote" workers.
These strategies involve working on HR data, work that will enable decision-makers to balance ’risk’ between the interests of employees and the business. This approach will make HR a key function for sound decision-making by managers.

Prediction n°5 - The necessary collaboration with CIOs and IT teams
At the intersection of workflow and data, HR and IT departments will need to be able to navigate the emotional landscape together. Collaboration with the IT department will become essential in order to draw up first a map of the return-to-work itinerary, then a roadmap for the sustainability of work organisation (secure network technologies, collaboration platforms, ready-to-use equipment), in line with employees’ needs (coaching, protection against feelings of isolation, financial advice).
As far as technology is concerned, HR will work closely with the IT and innovation teams to ensure a constant and solid connection to the virtual workspace, while addressing technical issues that affect the privacy, security and general well-being of employees.