The disruption
Caused by COVID-19 has forced society to rethink their business model and make it more digital
A strong and secure digital Denmark
The COVID-19 pandemic changed society and the prevailing way of life in almost all corners of the world. When lockdowns were introduced in 2020, digitalisation quickly moved from the long-term agenda to an immediate priority. With very little notice, corporations everywhere had to reassess their business practices and accelerate their digital transformation. Meetings, conferences and courses moved online and the demand for supporting technology and software grew rapidly.
In other words, the disruption caused by COVID-19 forced corporations to rethink their business models and speed up their digital journey. Government institutions also saw what the future would require and invested heavily in digital infrastructure and new digital solutions.
In times of crisis, the maturity of the digital public sector became a measure of how robust a society really is. The stronger the digital component of the public sector, the more robust the society. Digital infrastructure plays a key role in this, ensuring that government institutions can continue to deliver public services to citizens and support financial growth and development.
Denmark, which was named the country with the most digitalised public sector in the world in the UN’s E-Government Survey 2020, has long held a leading position in the development of digital public services in the EU. This strong foundation meant that Denmark was able to maintain a high level of service throughout the coronavirus crisis compared with many other countries. One critical component was the Digital Postbox, as the one source of truth, sourcing government information to citizens.
Digital solutions create value
New digital solutions and business models proved their value during the pandemic and have continued to do so in the years since. More corporations and authorities have become aware of the advantages of digitalisation, especially when it comes to secure digital communication and digital distribution.
The coronavirus crisis acted as a wake-up call to many countries. In some places, citizens struggled to contact the public sector because postal services were disrupted or because authorities still relied on physical attendance. In contrast, the high degree of digitalisation in Denmark meant that citizens noticed relatively few changes in how they interacted with the public sector. Communication between citizens, corporations and public authorities already took place primarily online through secure communication channels.
Digital infrastructure improves countries
As COVID-19 spread across the world in the spring of 2020, it quickly became clear that digitalisation would play a significant role in how countries handled the crisis, particularly in terms of maintaining lines of communication with citizens.
Countries with mature digital post and communication infrastructure were able to ensure that critical information reached citizens and that social responses could be coordinated. This placed them in a far stronger position than they would otherwise have been. The Scandinavian model, with its focus on human rights, data security and responsible business ethics, has proven to be a strong foundation for building and sharing trusted digital systems internationally.
From luxury to necessity
The pandemic also accelerated digitalisation in areas that were previously considered optional. Tools that were once viewed as a nice-to-have became essential. Digital learning solutions supported thousands of students who suddenly had to study from home but still needed access to teaching and learning materials. Digital signatures and collaboration tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Skype saw rapid adoption, and the value of systems that support remote work became clear to organisations of all sizes.
Today, many of the changes that started as emergency measures have become standard practice. Hybrid work, digital self-service and secure online channels are no longer temporary solutions. They are now integral parts of how modern organisations operate and interact with citizens and customers.
Many consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are now well understood, and one of the most important is the acceleration of digitalisation across both the public and private sectors. The crisis highlighted how essential digital tools are and how they can create value and resilience across almost every business area.
e-Boks offers corporations, authorities and the private sector an efficient, secure and user-friendly platform for digital dialogue, delivery and storage of important documents. This ensures that essential information reaches the right recipients, not only in times of crisis but in everyday operations as well.
