A new study by Citrix Systems is the latest to show that the global pandemic has been a major catalyst for digital transformation as enterprises across various industries attempt to overhaul systems to support remote workforces.
Around 3,700 IT leaders in seven countries were polled for the research, and many believe that there is no going back to the way things were before the outbreak of COVID-19.
More than three quarters say that an overwhelming number of workers will be content to continue working from home and reluctant to make the move back to the office as it was, if and when social distancing eventually ends.
The need to support remote workers has also forced 62% of IT leaders to expedite the deployment of cloud-based tools and resources.
While many had not envisaged a workforce made of remote employees, 69% said that the switch to work-from-home policies has been easier than they expected.
Seven in ten also say that the technology they had in place has enabled workers to communicate and collaborate at a level that is at least equal to face-to-face interactions.
The recent pivot to remote working was the result of a global crisis, but leaders now expect to support more remote work in the future and make it part of an ongoing strategy.
Almost two-thirds are debating whether to decrease the size of their physical IT footprint and embrace a cloud computing model wholesale.
A smaller but still considerable number (42%) say that they expect to launch digital workspace platforms during the next 12 months.
Just less than half of respondents also believe that public cloud services could be used to make remote working more efficient in the long term.
Challenges still remain, though, as 48% admit to not having a business continuity plan in base for the now vast remote workforce.
Seven in ten IT leaders are also worried about potential privacy and security breaches.
