Since the advent of Covid-19Virtual interaction has replaced human contact, which has been curtailed by the health measures of the European Union. containment and social distancing. Both isolated and hyper-connected, the populations concerned - some 2.6 billion people since confinement was imposed in India - have rushed to their computers and smartphones. The Chinawhich has acted as a testing ground since the coronavirus made its appearanceAt the beginning of February, the iPhone had its biggest week ever in terms of iOS app downloads, according to figures published by App Annie. And according to this specialist in mobile market data, it was the professional toolswhich encourage remote working, have been the most successful. The number of downloads is said to have been doubled in the first half of February compared with the rates seen in 2019, driven in particular by the Huawei Cloud WeLink, DingTalk and Zoom Cloud Meetings applications. In a way, the Middle Kingdom has shown the way to what should be the new professional standard for the first half of 2020. TheItaly saw the same digital wave break a month later. In the first week of March, the number of business app downloads was jumped 85% compared with the previous week, and even 135% compared with the weekly average over the previous 52 weeks. App Annie would have counted no less than 761,000 downloads of these professional tools, a record here too.
Among these business tools, videoconferencing systems are the most popular. Like the rising star Zoom Cloud Meetingswho a week ago occupied the first place for downloads in all categories in no less than 35 countries. This 'light' videoconferencing solution - which is free, but limited in terms of conversation time - is logically riding the wave of #StayAtHome. And so are the other players. Ciscothe former employer of the founder of Zoomis also performing well in a more upmarket segment. Its Twitter account relays photos of world leaders using its tools for their crisis meetings. They are not alone: between the outbreak of the coronavirus and the beginning of March, the number of users of the Webex has been multiplied by four, and even fivefold in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. And the average duration of videoconferences has doubled. Skype, Google Hangouts or Microsoft Teams are also seeing their usage rates soar, as shown by data compiled in Italy by specialist Apptopia. To meet this exponential demand - and perhaps also to keep up with the competition from start-ups - these more established players have unlocked features that were previously billed as extras. Cisco, for example, can bring together up to 100 participants, with no maximum videoconferencing time.
This virtualisation of business exchanges raises a number of issues. Starting, of course, with the problem of cyber security and data confidentiality, a challenge facing all those companies that have decentralised their headquarters to the living rooms of their employees. " Assume that what happens in Zoom does not stay in Zoom "Michael Techer, Head of Check Point Software Technologies in France, points out that ". since meeting participants can export the recorded file, it may end up in malicious hands ".
adopting good digital habits
Some observers are also pointing to the risk of a saturation networks. Because bandwidth is not infinitely elastic, and 'studious' connections have to coexist with leisure uses, which are also exploding, not to mention distance learning courses for pupils. If a choice had to be made, operators would have to respond first and foremost to the needs of businesses and the national education system. So, despite the fact that fans of La Casa de Papel are hoping to devour the new season in a confined space, remote management committees and other 'conf calls' will be given priority. The delayed launch of the Disney+ platform in France is a case in point, even though the confined space would have given it a captive audience to say the least. Nevertheless, some operators have made adjustments, such as Orange, which is doubling the capacity of its transatlantic cables. For his part, the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs is calling for a form of "digital solidarity : " At the beginning of the week, the mobile network experienced a few problems locally. Together with Arcep and the operators, we are working to ensure that everyone can use the Internet and make phone calls without any problems throughout France. We also need everyone to adapt their habits" explains Cédric O. " At this time, let's adopt good digital practices. It's important to ensure that networks work properly, particularly for health services or distance education. But it's also important to ensure that everyone can take advantage of the Internet without going without." . Among these good practices, it is recommended to use fixed networks and WiFi for voice and data, and to opt for off-peak periods at night for long downloads, especially updates.
Finally, in the longer term, it remains to be seen what impact this episode will have on the corporate culture and the report to the bureau and business travel. After a one-off 'trial period' during the strikes, the practice of teleworking and virtual meetings has never had so much time to prove itself. Will the new habits, methods and organisations developed during these teleworking weeks become the norm once the crisis is over? The blending of private and professional spheres, already embodied in the bleisure or the "BYODis taking on a new dimension. Through the webcam, the office - and the colleagues that go with it - are being invited into the living room of every employee. Guillaume Pellegrin, Chairman of Tivoli Capital and Founder of Workspaces Newton Officessays: " We held our first AperoCall by videoconference last Friday with all Newton Offices staff from Marseille and Montpellier. The aim was to see each other, even from a distance, to talk about our first week, our good teleworking practices - in short, to make eye contact. This way ofenter the private sphere of each individual allowed us to reveal a new facet of ourselves, to get to know each other better and to relax the atmosphere. A successful gamble, and at the request of our employees, it's going to become a recurring event, so see you next Friday." says Guillaume Pellegrin. Already singled out for criticism for many weeks now in the wake of the " flight shaming" Business travel - now frozen - is now under the microscope of the virtual. This is an opportunity to measure the value of the famous human contact and its status in relation to the alternatives offered by new technologies.
