Backed by technology, enterprises must identify their strengths, leverage existing talent and improve business efficiency, says MANGESH WADAJE. The COVID -19 pandemic has forced the real-estate industry into an age of uncertainty, throwing up unprecedented challenges and testing the skills of developers, contractors, infrastructure giants and even IT solution providers to cope with the crisis. Responding to the Government’s protocols to contain the virus from penetrating the community, enterprises have quickly created a remote working ecosystem across this core industry and its allied verticals. Though many see the pandemic as a phase of disruption and poor productivity, others view it as an opportunity to reflect inwards and be more self-reliant. Enterprises must identify their strengths and leverage existing talent to significantly improve business efficiency and even tap new opportunities. Reskilling the workforce has also emerged as a priority among enterprises to bank on new opportunities and mitigate productivity losses. In this regard, Highbar Technocrat Ltd has played an instrumental role in effectively harnessing its proprietary technologies and solutions to drive in-house operational efficiency and business agility for itself and its clients. By using these solutions, Highbar has achieved a unified, secured and collaborative business ecosystem. Some lessons for enterprises for ensuring business continuity The following key enablers can strengthen the gains of enterprises across industry sectors from their remote workforce operations. Seamless data access: Ability to access data anytime from anywhere through Cloud-enabled mobility solutions Verbal and written chain of communication: Continuous flow of communication through email, video conferencing and audio conferencing to ensure that the chain of communication is not disrupted Information security: Disasters like these tend to introduce potential vulnerabilities into systems and processes, which need to be guarded against. Amid the pandemic, corporations are extensively leveraging Highbar Technocrat’s industry-leading business enabler solutions including ERP, Electronic Document Management Solution (DMS), Business Intelligence, SuccessFactors, IoT, CRM, etc. Many of these solutions are powered by Cloud platforms that allow extensive mobility of resources. The use of custom video conferencing solutions on smart mobile devices is facilitating last-mile connectivity for the workforce. To aid skilling initiatives, the Highbar leadership team regularly brainstorms to chalk out innovative solutions and strategies to ensure minimum disruption in business processes and employee productivity. HR teams at Highbar are also dedicated to address employee concerns round the clock amid these challenging times. We are confident that these measures will not only empower us to better serve our customers in the present era of lockdown but will also lay the foundation for garnering a significant competitive edge, once normalcy begins to return. One of the challenges the Highbar team is grappling with currently is to extend the remote work module perfectly to the entire workforce. Regular training sessions over video conferencing to better understand mobility solutions is one key practice the Highbar team is working on towards this goal. As businesses struggle to find the perfect new routines, innovation-driven enterprises like Highbar will continue their search for new opportunities to leverage the existing industry vacuum and expand their market presence while helping their clients in doing so. About the Author: Mangesh Wadaje, Director & CEO, Highbar Technocrat Ltd, has over 21 years of experience in the construction, infrastructure and IT industries. He was the driving force in creating a spinoff IT company that was recognised by Gartner Inc. as an example of one of the most successful spinoffs of the time. With hands-on project management experience in large and complex ERP implementation projects, he is one of the pioneering change leaders to adopt world-class ERP for the Indian infrastructure and construction industry.