The coronavirus crisis and the technology sector
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The coronavirus crisis and the technology sector Carolyn Evans1 Published online: 23 November 2020 © National Association for Business Economics 2020
Abstract The coronavirus crisis has created a profound shift in how people interact and economies function. Policy mandates and fears of becoming infected or infecting others have impelled populations to shelter at home, socially distance, and otherwise reduce direct, in-person interactions with others. By enabling people to conduct many regular activities remotely, including working, learning, shopping, and receiving medical services, technology has allowed the continuation of some semblance of a normal lifestyle in this new environment. Within this context, the IT sector has provided the tools and resources required to support these remote activities, as well as to address the pandemic more directly through efforts such as supporting contact tracing and providing high-performance computing resources for COVID-19-related research. This paper discusses in more detail this impact of the pandemic on the technology industry, and its response to this shock, by addressing three elements: accelerated digital transformation, increased importance of technology in the economy and society, and prevalence of inequalities in access to and the use of technology. Keywords COVID-19 · Information technology · Digital transformation · Digital divide · Remote work · Remote learning
1 Introduction The coronavirus crisis has created a profound shift in how people interact and economies function. Policy mandates and fears of becoming infected or infecting others have impelled populations to shelter at home, socially distance and otherwise reduce direct, in-person interactions with others. By enabling people to conduct many regular activities remotely, including working, learning, shopping and receiving medical services, technology has allowed the continuation of some semblance of a normal lifestyle in this new environment. Within this context, the IT sector has provided the tools and resources required to support these remote activities, as well as to address the pandemic more directly through efforts such as supporting contact tracing and providing high-performance computing resources for COVID19-related research. The views in this paper are solely the responsibility of the author and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of Intel Corporation or of any other person associated with Intel Corporation. * Carolyn Evans 1
Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA, USA
This paper discusses in more detail this impact of the pandemic on the technology industry, and its response to this shock, by addressing three elements: accelerated digital transformation, increased importance of technology in the economy and society, and prevalence of inequalities in access to and the use of technology.
2 Accelerated digital transformation From the rise of e-commerce to the increased use of video chat and connection via online platforms to the automation of some types of work, a
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