Very few, if any of us, have lived through such trying times. The challenges we are facing now, and for the foreseeable future, are forcing us to be more resourceful and adapt to new ways of doing business and living our day-to-day lives. In this vlog, I'll share some of my thoughts about how we at Aras have made a pivot to adjust to meet an uncertain future.
If you would prefer to read Mark's comments, here is a transcript:
These are unprecedented times, where the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we work and live. The human impact continues to be tragic. It has also been devastating for businesses and our global economy. And how long this will last is unknown.
As you can probably tell, I’m working virtually—now in my third week. For me, this was a simple change. My kids are older, and I have a space to work from. This of course is not the case for many of us. For some it is deeply personal. I would hope collectively we could all express patience and empathy with those trying to cope.
As for Aras, it was a smooth transition. Our infrastructure is in the cloud. The entire company uses Aras Innovator for many functions such as CRM, our Aras SAFe Portal for our Scaled Agile Framework, and Test Automation Framework (TAF) just to name a few. Except for the obvious travel restrictions, we’re operating much the same. Of course, we’re not like the much larger manufacturers we serve. We have no factories, industrial equipment, or legacy infrastructure to deal with.
On top of all the challenges manufacturers previously had to deal with, we now face a crisis greater than any in our lifetime.The word “crisis” comes from a Greek noun, “κρίσις krísis” which means decision.
The decisions we make in a crisis are what define us. As it relates to your company and the products you produce and maintain, the ability to adapt in these uncertain times is critical.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that we’ve all been forced to change—to adopt digital processes, virtual meetings and so on—which can expose certain inefficiencies. In many cases, we either do it remotely or it won’t get done.
Organizations mired in legacy—with rigid systems and processes will face hard choices, but I’m optimistic.
In the face of adversity and situations such as we’re experiencing, people and organizations are pushed to rethink things, pivot, and come up with new ways of collaborating, innovating and working remotely, …but together.
Our future necessitates that we increase our ability to sustainably adapt, to increase our digital dexterity. The greatest weapon a business can possess is flexibility—the speed to adapt, to react, and even disrupt.
When this pandemic ends organizations will have the opportunity to shed outdated processes and come out stronger, more resilient, more adaptable. Where it makes sense, Aras would like to help you make that happen.
We’re built for change—for a rapidly-changing future that is unknown.
Our resilient platform is open, flexible, scaleable, and upgradeable, and enables companies to deploy, pivot and upgrade with speed and value.
During these unprecedented times, we want our community to succeed. If you need help with an upgrade, a pivot to the cloud, or anything else, know that we’re in this together and we’re here to support you.
Be safe.
Thank you