"Technology allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, to anyone from almost any device. This is dramatically changing the way we work, facilitating 24/7 collaboration with colleagues dispersed across time zones, countries, and continents." – Michael Dell

When the global Coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. economy in early 2020, the U.S. unemployment rate spiked. New legislation complicated benefits distribution as new systems, new business rules, and new processes were stood up at a moment's notice to deal with the crisis. Of course, one objective for all Sagitec's customers was performance—we needed to serve the hundreds of thousands of people accessing our applications every day.

ALM tools are the ‘source of truth’ through the software development lifecycle to update all stakeholders in real-time. These tools manage requirements, acceptance criteria, documentation, test cases, problem incident reports (PIRs) – bringing processes, and people together.

Bill Gates once said, “Business will change in the next ten years more than it has changed in the last fifty years.” Technology is changing so rapidly today that it will be even faster tomorrow.

Since the pandemic, State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) have been moving toward online solutions and call center services. However, these approaches could not meet the demand generated by the pandemic. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems were challenged under increased load. This led to SWA’s searching for ways to increase customer service during these unprecedented times.

On March 27, 2020, U.S. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) across the nation scrambled to develop technical solutions to accommodate millions of Americans suddenly eligible for unemployment benefits. Throughout the pandemic, rules, policies, regulations, and legislation were—and remain—fluid and evolving and SWAs are interpreting and implementing federal and state changes constantly. 

The first-ever virtual National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR) conference was a culmination of great ideas, discussions on the changing pandemic situation and how it affects work, and how technology plays a decisive role in keeping data secure. Our Chief Information Officer Warren Gordon was on a panel speaking about All things IT: from Cybersecurity to Telecommuting. Here are his thoughts and excerpts from the discussion.

“Change is the only constant in life, and if we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s that you best be prepared.”

Your organization’s data is critically important – and quite vulnerable – during a new solution implementation. Consequently, your vendor should offer advanced security options to protect your data during your project implementation. Further, they should also provide you detailed security protocols and plans for converting your data accurately and efficiently. In your analysis of determining which pension administration software is best for your organization, be sure to keep maintaining data integrity at the top of your list.

After understanding what to look for in a Pension Administration Software – and how to evaluate whether or not it will meet your organizational goals – it’s time to focus on another obstacle entirely: implementation. Depending on the size of the organization, transitioning to a new solution could take weeks, months – even years. Plus, new regulations and innovations can sometimes cause further delays and overhaul hindrances. In truth, this project is no small feat.