Research
Interview Synopsis

Working from home – coronavirus impact on IT purchasing

  • Public Equity
  • TMT
  • Europe

With many countries imposing movement restrictions as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become non-negotiable for certain industries. “Where I think the impact is most volatile is those businesses where they have not yet had the requirement to have a large number of people working from home”, a C-level executive from Maple Hawthorn Ltd told Third Bridge Forum.

COVID-19 forcing firms to invest in remote working capabilities

This Interview started off by covering demand trends. For those organisations where remote working capabilities are lacking, IT investment will see a spike. “If I look at maybe equipping an individual to be able to work from home with a laptop, with the corporate software that’s needed on that laptop, security software” and other necessary applications, there is a substantial cost per person. As a result, “we will see, later down the line, a reduction in investment to compensate for the urgent investment that they’ve had to make now.”

The balance between software and hardware requirements was also on the agenda. When it comes to the split in investment, “it very much depends on your starting point. If you have an on-prem Microsoft environment, it’s a bit more difficult and you require more of an investment.” It was also noted that collaboration technologies that don’t take up too much bandwidth and are easy to use should prove popular.

This pandemic is “going to see a longer-term impact on the way organisations work”. Although people will still go to offices “because of the human nature of people wanting to interact”, there will be a shift to more remote working. Other effects could include companies choosing different kinds of office space and investing more in cloud infrastructure.

To access all the human insights from Third Bridge Forum’s Working from Home – Coronavirus Impact on IT Purchasing Interview, click here to view the full transcript.

Related Transcripts

The information used in compiling this document has been obtained by Third Bridge from experts participating in Forum Interviews. Third Bridge does not warrant the accuracy of the information and has not independently verified it. It should not be regarded as a trade recommendation or form the basis of any investment decision.

For any enquiries, please contact sales@thirdbridge.com