Around March 16th I, like most, was fearful of what lay ahead. The implications of Covid-19 stretching its awful hand over the world made for grim consideration not just in personal life, but also in the evident threat to my clients’, my team’s and my own livelihood.
Throughout the following months, inspiring acts helped keep the faith. Not just in the headline grabbing efforts of heroic Captain Tom, or the weekly ‘clap for carers’, but also in the world of business. So many companies have marched on and applied their technology to helping reduce the impact of Covid-19, even when the situation is changing from day to day.
It’s not just the remote-working companies of this world, or new health tech (though there are plenty of stories and investment here). From transport scheduling systems to remote diagnostic solutions using AI, to direct delivery services, we have seen no end of creativity and adaptivity from entrepreneurs in the tech industry. As well as driving digital transformation way, way faster than it was rolling out at the beginning of the year, COVID-19 has driven many bright ideas to serve the greater good.
It has brought home exactly why I work in technology – the crisis has accelerated technology growth and more adoption than I could ever have imagined. Furthermore, I’m proud that many of our own clients are involved in these bright ideas to improve the world around us.
HR tech is one area – monitoring leave and sickness is essential now if you’re to be a caring employer. Location-based technology is another; helping to make hospitals more efficient by having the right person in the right place at the right time. Call centre workers who might have seen their place of work close, are being connected to work via gig-based platforms so they can work from home. So much tech with people at its heart.
The list goes on. We’re seeing clients helping preserve important records for us to learn from the crisis, or developing advanced delivery software to ensure that retailers can cope with the boom in e-commerce which Covid-19 has caused. And even in industrial sectors the shift has been rapid. Teams who never thought they would be able to work remotely are now able to, even in heavy industries, and can use technology like AI, cloud and remote monitoring to detect issues before they arise.
All this has kept me and the team going through the last few months. Not just in being incredibly busy and reacting to a rapidly-changing news agenda, but also through appreciating the inspiring stories behind the work of our brilliant clients which will hopefully serve to improve the wider national and global situation in months to come.
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