As localities slowly begin to reopen, technology will be an essential part of the process. The digital infrastructures at the heart of many modern cities may prove critical to keeping the coronavirus at bay. There are many other potential coronavirus-related applications for video in digitally connected cities and the organizations within them. Some, such as using facial recognition for contact tracing, may be controversial, and there are certainly privacy and security issues that municipalities must address. But the fact that a device as simple as a mounted camera combined with powerful analytics software might be used to accomplish in just a few seconds what would otherwise be quite difficult — that’s something localities and other organizations must consider.

As organizations across the country have moved to remote work models, many have reported an increase in cyberattacks. Cybercriminals, it seems, are taking advantage of the public health crisis to exploit security vulnerabilities in home-based computer systems. What can organizations do to minimize the chances that their shift to remote work results in an expensive breach? We recommend a multipronged approach that combines the use of security tools and end-user education.

Agile software development has many things to teach us, and one of my favorites is Fist of Five. This voting method, often proposed for scrum teams, is a fast way to get feedback from your team. In short, when you need to come to an agreement, take the temperature or vote on something, you can call for a Fist of Five.

Across industries, IT networks are becoming more complex. The number of users, the number of devices and the amount of bandwidth being consumed are all growing at exponential rates. But resources dedicated to the network largely remain flat. At some point, something has to give.

The only way to battle complexity is with the simplicity offered by features such as automation and orchestration. This is where software-defined approaches to networking come in. Particularly, the software-defined access approach pioneered by Cisco Systems (SD-Access, or SDA) can simplify network deployment and management, freeing up more time for IT departments to focus on strategic projects.

5G is the next generation of mobile broadband, and it will eventually replace consumers’ and corporations’ 4G LTE connections. With 5G, users will see exponentially faster download and upload speeds, with drastic reductions in latency. This will open up a new world of possibilities, and it’s easy to understand why the technology is the subject of such breathless coverage in the press.

At the moment, the reality of 5G doesn’t match this hype, but that’s only because the infrastructure isn’t in place yet. Most serious industry observers predict that it will take at least a year or two for wireless carriers to build out 5G networks capable of supporting widescale use. But once that infrastructure is in place, it truly will change the world — and businesses should begin preparing today.

The fact that compliance efforts can be challenging is no surprise to IT professionals and managers. Today’s regulatory environment is full of security and privacy regulations that place strict limits on the collection, handling and storage of sensitive information, and IT teams often find themselves responsible for the heavy lifting of compliance programs.

I recently had the opportunity to visit with a retailer that operates a large contact center to support its international chain of stores. The company was in the early stages of reviewing its compliance obligations and asked us to find ways to modify business practices to reduce the scope of its compliance efforts. After reviewing the company’s activities, we discovered a few small changes in the way the company handles information that could dramatically reduce its compliance burden. Organizations across industries can draw lessons from this experience as they seek to reduce their own costs of compliance.