While surviving the current pandemic has been the hot topic of discussion, businesses are now coming to terms with the reality that business as usual is a thing of the past. So what does an entirely new normal look like? And how can businesses navigate an increasingly unpredictable terrain in coming years and decades?

“It’s not going to be the same as before,” said Pradeep Kumar (pictured), senior vice president and general manager of Pointnext at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. “It’s changed in many different ways, and … it’s different from industry to industry, business to business. And how you cope up with it, how you prepare for it, how you use technology for your advantage would be the winners and losers.”

Kumar spoke with Dave Vellante, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the HPE Discover Virtual Experience event. They discussed coping with the current pandemic, the digital disruption that moments like this demand, and planning for an unpredictable future. (* Disclosure below.)

COVID-19 is the disruption that will test companies for true digital transformation

While COVID-19 has been the most recent disruption, external factors like pandemics, natural disasters, climate change, and social uprising will really drive more change over the next few decades. So how do technology and these external factors blend together when things are extremely unpredictable? First off, businesses need to be prepared for any possibility.

“Sometimes what people forget is being prepared for a pandemic,” Kumar said. “Have your candles ready, have your water bottles ready so that when the floods arrive, you at least have something to rely on. And companies continuously want a preparedness business continuity plan. That is the number one priority to make sure that you have a business continuity plan that does not affect your business.”

The second way businesses need to improve is to preserve their cash to make sure they are getting ready for the future of technology, according to Kumar. Businesses must be asking where the future of technology is heading and if they have the experts and the skills for that future technology.

Once they have the latest technology or platform, the third thing companies must do is be prepared to maintain and optimize that technology constantly.

“You might need training for your people. It’s a continuous management of chain. So I think you’ll need to look at it as a continuum: Do you have a business continuity plan? Did you transform into the new environment you wanted to? Are you continuously optimizing and ready for the next disruption around the corner?” Kumar asked.

HPE Pointnext has 23,000 employees really dedicated to helping customers envision and implement the right technology to power digital transformation, according to Kumar. Every business and industry will find different solutions to the current demands and challenges that the world is facing. It isn’t a one size fits all solution, and Pointnext is helping companies navigate the unique difficulties.

“We are a very outcome-based set of people who are here … to find out what makes the best sense for you and then take you through that transformation,” Kumar stated. “When you’re working with a partner, is the partner really trusted and will stay with you when there are bumps on the road and make sure that your end goal is achieved?”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the HPE Discover Virtual Experience event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the HPE Discover Virtual Experience. Neither Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE