4 Empower people through technology: Provide access to a robust foundation and the ability to experiment Establish a robust technology foundation. in their work. When people have this level of Companies that use cloud to build a seamless autonomy, a stronger sense of connection will technology and capability foundation are take hold along with new levels of innovation. able to support the ever-changing needs of the business by meeting the ever-changing Look beyond the tools of today. Those needs of people. At the start of the pandemic, companies that are expanding their people’s business continuity for many companies technology toolbox, along with their agency, depended on people’s equal access to stable are seeing the bene昀椀ts. Our research found internet service and the power of cloud to keep that 86% of workers surveyed who claim to them connected and collaborating. This robust experience omni-connection also reported technology foundation is essential to help upgrades to their company’s technology people work in new ways, wherever they need and skillsets, allowing them to work in new to be. ways. That means looking at the upside of emerging technology—like the metaverse—to Think like a technologist. Armed with access support equitable opportunities to participate and tools, the next step is to empower people and contribute. It’s also worth exploring the with collaboration technology like Teams, promise of human-machine collaboration. Zoom or WebEx, along with a decent Bluetooth By allowing seamless collaboration between headset. These are still vital, but access isn’t humans and machines, people can contribute empowerment. Companies need to encourage to higher-value work and experience a greater their people to think like technologists and sense of purpose. experiment—using the data and tools in their hands to discover new processes and solutions From always connected to omni-connected: Creating value for people and business through omni-connected experiences 17