The Business world has become the virtual business of Covid-19.
Not all businesses are run by the changes of Covid-19, but the virtual business is becoming the norm rather than the exception. Can it be undone? It is a bit ironic isn’t it that the major companies that create the equipment that is required to run a virtual business are just across the bridge?
Even so we have crazy traffic. Look at how wide the bridge out of Concord is. If the silicon valley and the bay area are preaching virtualization to the world, why are we so bad at it? Many years ago I worked at a company in Walnut Creek and drove down from Fairfield every day. For a while I tried the BART bus and walked the three blocks. One day a car was broken into at the parking lot in Suisun. A week later the bus broke down and I was late. My fate would not be in “their” hands.
Early Virtualization
The company I worked for was one of the early adopters of RAS. RAS means Remote Access Services. This let the execs check in from home. Sadly this wasn’t so they could work from home a day or two each week, it was so they could work from home after they left the office.
Those were the days of low pay and giant stock option carrots. That education in remote systems gave me a big head start on the Virtual Business needs created by Covid. How many other people have 25 years experience in virtualization?
The Bay Drive
Last month I did have to service a clients office in Danville. The drive from Napa Valley was fantastic. No traffic, the bridges were wide open. It couldn’t have been better. Commuting in wasn’t an imposition. Just a year ago that same drive took nearly three hours.
Even the news almost stopped talking traffic for a couple of months. All of the bay area bridges were open and traffic was moving. My clients (aka employers) are chomping at the bit to get their staff in the office and back to work. But why? Virtualization works.
The Trust Factor
For years we have been conditioned to work and get paid by the clock. Employers tell me they are concerned that their employees will just sit at home and play video games and drive RC Cars on their dime. That isn’t the case.
Virtual business in some form is here to stay, you can join in or give up, it’s your choice.
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