The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world by its overwhelming impact on not only our health but also our businesses, institutions – practically every part of our lives. While we may encounter a fair share of COVID skeptics and denialists, nobody is immune to social and economic struggles. Companies that had to halt their activities took a real, unexpected beating that forced some of them out of business. To avoid similar dangers in the future, we must implement dynamic planning and strategies to provide a quicker response to the crisis.
In this article, we will focus on how this extraordinary pandemic transformed our approach to company planning and business activities. COVID-19 has affected every business and coming back from lockdown is not an easy transition for anyone. We will talk about solutions that would make similar processes in the future more bearable or in some cases – even profitable.
That’s right! Top proactive businesses that have the data and resources to prepare for the future find ways to profit from extreme circumstances while less fortunate companies start bleeding. If your company or livelihood has suffered due to COVID-19, we suggest transforming your approach to planning.
In order to thrive in today’s market, businesses have to maintain a high level of technical skills. While some conservative companies may not be as dependent on IT and like to take their time with the transition, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned technologies into a necessary part of survival. Let’s discuss the benefits of IT for company planning and activities that will protect your business in the future. We will also gloss over great assistance tools, such as proxy servers from a legitimate proxy provider. Learn more about Smartproxy if you are interested in the usage of these intermediary servers. At the moment, let’s focus on the ways to use IT and revitalize your business in the twilight of the pandemic.
Set up an online shop
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An obvious no-brainer, most companies who managed to withstand the onslaught of COVID-19 complications continued generating revenue thanks to purchases in online shops. Proactive companies that invested in online shop infrastructure and e-commerce have not only prepared for the time of isolation but also created a much more convenient way for customers to order and receive desired services.
IT and e-commerce investments are the smartest decisions that allowed tech giants like Amazon to thrive during the pandemic. If you plan to run a business during the economic restart, take care of a website and online shop as fast as you can.
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Of course, with a necessity for an online shop comes responsibility for customer data and the well-being of your website. Proxy servers from a respectable proxy provider can help you balance the internal load of your online shop, as well as limit DDoS attacks and other cybersecurity threats.
While an online shop already brings more revenue by making your services accessible to clients, partnerships with third-party advertisers can help you use collected public data for additional profit.
Use web scraping to stay ready
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No matter what your current business goals are, web scraping is an inseparable part of most company activities today. You can plan for a restart, digitalization of your business, and even small personal projects, and web scraping will assist you in every step of the process. Nobody can argue with the power of knowledge, and a company that uses data extraction as a fuel for improvement and innovation will always stay versatile enough to survive and thrive in the future.
We can use the same example of Amazon to highlight the biggest success story that heavily involves web scraping. With continuous e-commerce investments and a watchful eye on the competition, the company uses extracted data for extremely aggressive price changes to stay on top.
Although competitive price monitoring is arguably the most important process that derives from web scraping, it is only the tip of the iceberg. With good residential proxies from a legitimate proxy provider, a business owner can scale up their scraping operations and make them much more efficient. The security provided by intermediary servers protects our IP addresses, so even if your scrapers get recognized by third parties, you never put your network identity at risk.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put an even stronger emphasis on the importance of IT and e-commerce for businesses. Companies that utilize automated web scraping with proxy servers from a legitimate proxy provider can collect and process data to transform company planning. Alternative approaches to marketing campaigns, competitor analysis, aggressive price tracking, and many other data-related processes are now more versatile, precise, and efficient in the hands of tech-savvy businesses.
With a much more proactive approach to company planning, we can not only steer away from possible danger at the right time but also utilize new opportunities that can come and go in a matter of days or even hours. Transform your business activities with IT solutions and stay prepared for a brighter tomorrow!
News
Sankeys nightclub is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s officially happening: iconic local club Sankeys is coming back to Manchester city centre almost a decade on from its gutting closure.
The iconic ‘Sankey’s Soap’ nightlife space – which started out over in Ancoats during the mid-’90s – enjoyed numerous stints during its time in the clubbing world, as well as opening multiple partnered venues in the country and even overseas.
Now, approaching nine years after the shutdown, Sankeys is returning to Manchester in the new year, and Mancs are currently losing their minds.
Whether you are one of those who ‘remember it when’, or someone who sadly missed out on the halcyon days in the old Beehive Mill, we assure you that everyone is in agreement that this is nothing short of massive news…
First teasing the comeback back in July, as our city and the world at large were gripped by ‘Britpop Mania’ 2.0, the largely dormant Instagram account posted: “This week Manchester, and the UK, has been blessed with a homecoming of our very own, Oasis.
“We think Manchester deserves another homecoming… Definitely, maybe?”
The North West corners of the internet and veteran revellers alike were understandably quick to get excited by the potential revival, but nothing else had been said for months – until now.
Confirmed on Tuesday, 25 November, the infamous and storied nightclub’s social media team began by writing, simply: “The Legend Returns” and beckoning “a new era for Sankeys”.
It is still unclear as to where exactly the new and improved club(s) will be, but we do know that the events will be in the city centre. However, we do know we’ll be getting a familiar matrix grid installation as part of the design once again.
They will also be enforcing a strict new no-phones policy, which has become increasingly popular across the scene, thanks to the likes of Amber’s right here in Manchester.
Sankeys first opened in Manchester as "Sankeys Soap" in June 1994.[3] It was so called due to its residence inside Beehive Mill, Ancoats, which once was used to manufacture soap. The basement of the mill was transformed into a club and live music venue#pub#historypic.twitter.com/cnM6Nt23uZ
Sankeys may have remained an active promoter in the days since the building on the corner of Radium and Jersey Street (M4 6JG) closed – going on to become an unsuspecting office development – this will be the first event of the aforementioned next chapter in a flagship venue.
Promising a limited capacity of no more than 500 people, Sankeys is set to make its landmark return on
“We will only be open one night a week on Saturday. There will be no VIP or phones allowed on the dancefloor — everyone is a VIP. People need to stop taking pictures and start dancing to the beat.”
Hordes of clubbers, ravers, students and more are already signing up for early access and general admission tickets for the first two nights on Friday and Saturday, 30-31 January 2026 go on sale at 9am this Friday (28 Nov).
Get ready to grab yours HERE and party like it’s, well, 1994, 2017 – take your pick.
Manchester set for its busiest weekend of the year with people urged to ‘plan ahead’
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is gearing up for what’s set to be its busiest weekend of the year, and people traveling into the city centre are being urged to ‘plan ahead’.
It’s officially a month to go until Christmas Day is here, and with the festive countdown now well under way, especially with Black Friday coming up at the end of this week (28 November) too, shoppers will be eager to bag a bargain and get some Christmas gifts for their loved ones – heading to the city centre shops or Christmas Markets.
This weekend, and Saturday (29 November) in particular, is traditionally one of the busiest of the year, and even saw the highest footfall in the city centre last year.
As well as people heading to the city centre to shop, there are also several other events happening across the weekend.
Manchester City host Leeds in a 3pm kick-off at the Etihad Stadium, while Bad Omens, and Sonny Fodera play Co-op Live on Friday and Saturday night respectively, while Wolf Alice are also set to return to Manchester for a Black Friday performance at the AO Arena.
Manchester city centre is set for one of its busiest weekends of the year with Black Friday shopping, festive markets, football at the Etihad, and major gigs at Co-op Live and AO Arena.
To keep the city moving, We're offering: ✔ Park & Ride carparks with shuttle buses ✔… pic.twitter.com/zy0bnWCDDw
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Manchester City Council, and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are all working together to manage the volume of people expected into the city centre this weekend – but even despite their efforts, people are still being urged to plan ahead, especially when it comes to transport.
Anyone looking to beat the traffic is encouraged to make use of the Bee Network, with trams and buses being both the quickest and cheapest way to travel this weekend.
TfGM says roads are expected to be ‘very busy’ during peak times this weekend, so it’s important that anyone planning to make their way into the city centre by vehicle avoid the busiest periods if they can.
The busiest times are predicted to be 3pm to 7pm on Friday, 4pm to 9pm on Saturday, and 3pm to 6:30pm on Sunday.
Manchester is set for its busiest weekend of the year with people urged to ‘plan ahead’ / Credit: Manchester City Council
Some of the extra measures currently in place to help people get in an around the city centre this week include free pop-up park and ride services, later trams and all-night buses, dedicated matchday shuttle buses, and changes at key locations to help improve congestion.
It’s also worth noting that some TfGM staff are currently taking part in strike action until this Friday (28 November) meaning some facilities – such as ticket offices and toilets – may be closed, however bus and tram services will run as normal.
“The countdown to Christmas is now in full swing and Black Friday weekend is always sure to be one of the busiest times of the year for the city centre,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is TfGM’s Chief Network Officer.
“Public transport will be the best way to get around, save money, and avoid getting stuck in traffic [which is why] we’re providing 1,000 additional parking spaces with our pop-up park and rides, putting on late night services, and running as many buses and trams as we possibly can.
“We want to help people enjoy everything the season has to offer, so please remember to plan your journeys and leave yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going.”
Get all the latest travel updates this weekend on the Bee Network website here.