The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing many businesses to switch from servers to cloud computing to better adjust to market dynamics and fine-tune customer needs in the untact world.

That’s one of the messages from Werner Vogels, Amazon’s chief technology officer, recently sent to Maeil Business Newspaper ahead of the 21st World Knowledge Forum to be held from Wednesday to Friday under the title of “Pandemics Perspective: Shaping New Global Symbiosis”.

The cloud would come in handy for industries like travel sector that are going through serious business downturn and have to cut down network related costs because the new technology enhances flexibility in dealing with changing demand without establishing on-premise servers.

Cloud computing has “democratized technology to the point where it is accessible to everyone,” he said.

He also emphasized that companies should not only embrace new technology but also change the mode of doing business and corporate culture to survive in the post-pandemic era.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been forcing businesses to change how they create products, and hire and develop employees, and the change in the culture and organizational structure will have the most impact on success of the companies, Vogels said.

He added that the cloud can be a “technical enabler” to the changes, just as Netflix that began with mailing DVDs to customers has embraced a cloud culture and developed a company culture that rewards innovation to disrupt the industry.

Vogels will speak on Thursday on “the role of the cloud in a post-pandemic world.”

Instagram’s chief operating officer Justin Osofsky said companies are increasingly using augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) technology to bring fun to their business. As 90 percent of people on Instagram follow a business, it has become more important than ever for businesses to establish a “digital presence.” He added Instagram will be serving as an invaluable tool that helps companies not only connect with their existing customers but also reach global users.

He will share his insights on ways Instagram is innovating to support businesses as they navigate through new challenges and how community building is key to bringing people closer together.

This year’s WFT will present a variety of technology sessions to give a glimpse on future of technology after Covid-19. John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet, will have a talk with Cha Sang-kyun, Seoul National University Dean of Graduate School of Data Science on the opening day on Wednesday about changes in tech industry landscape and Silicon Valley’s innovations.

By Oh Dae-seok and Choi Mira

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]