How a crisis
can spark
transformation
Digital technologies have not only helped health care systems and businesses adapt during the pandemic—they’ve laid the groundwork for industry leaders to be more resilient, nimble and effective in the years to come.
More than a year has passed since covid-19 first emerged, causing unprecedented disruption to the way we live and the way we work. As the pandemic carries on into 2021, many industries continue to feel the weight of the crisis—health care and business sectors, most notably.
Surges in covid-19 cases have pushed hospital systems to the brink. This has not only made it more difficult for providers to respond to the pandemic, but has also led people to delay medical treatment and routine care. A recent national survey found that nearly 40 percent of Americans still feel unsafe visiting the doctor’s office while covid-19 remains a risk. Meanwhile, as people were compelled to limit their mobility to lessen the risk of coronavirus exposure, businesses were forced to rethink their operations to accommodate remote work. An April 2020 report found that two-thirds of U.S. employees were working remotely at least part of the week due to the pandemic.
Yet these challenges, though immense, don’t tell the whole story. Throughout the year, health systems and businesses showed incredible resilience, buoyed in particular by an acceleration in innovative technologies. These digital advancements, including solutions pioneered by Cisco, allowed patients to access much-needed care without putting themselves at risk and helped businesses adapt when they had to abandon the office overnight. And these solutions aren’t simply a salve in this moment of enforced distancing; as we move into what could be the end stages of the pandemic, they’re laying the foundation for more effective and inclusive ways of working and serving the public in the years to come.
Our ability to respond during the crisis allowed us to see how technology in general, and Webex in particular, can change the way we work in the future.
Bridging the gap in health care
Even before the covid-19 crisis began, the health care industry had already started down a path towards digital transformation. Advancements like digitization of health records and telehealth have helped providers deliver better access to patients—particularly those from vulnerable demographic groups. These interventions have been particularly vital amid the pandemic. Take the efforts of Sky Lakes Medical Center, for instance. Sky Lakes is a not-for-profit teaching hospital serving more than 80,000 people in a rural, geographically isolated area of south-central Oregon and Northern California. In recent months, the hospital leveraged its digital infrastructure—and longstanding partnership with Cisco—to quickly rollout a vaccination program for its patients. Sky Lakes launched a Cisco Webex Contact Center to schedule patient vaccinations in less than 48 hours. And using the Stanley Healthcare and Cisco DNA Spaces integration, the hospital has been able to safely and continuously monitor the vaccines at the cold temperatures required.
“When Sky Lakes had to innovate very quickly during the pandemic testing and vaccination effort, we turned to our trusted relationship with Cisco,” said John Gaede, Director of Information Systems Sky Lakes Medical Center. “Our Cisco team pooled resources within Cisco and their partners to help us safely and quickly scale to help serve our community in its time of need.”
The Deutsche Bahn DB Medibus launched in Germany prior to the pandemic with a similar mission—to ensure that underserved communities have access to much-needed medical care by bringing doctors to patients. During the pandemic, the Medibus fleet has also been deployed to covid-19 hotspots to collect throat swabs and blood samples from more than 10,000 German citizens for critical antibody research.
Each bus in the fleet is equipped with collaboration tools such as Cisco Webex DX80 to provide real-time translation services and specialist referrals. The vehicles also have Cisco networking solutions with end-to-end integrated security to enable secure, reliable internet connectivity, which is especially important as the buses travel through rural areas.
The connectivity solutions that keep the Medibus running promise to transform how patients can receive medical care long after the covid-19 crisis has ended. “Whether it’s remote medical needs, responding to pandemics or the future of mobile public services, Deutsche Bahn will continue to be the bridge between German citizens and their ever-changing needs,” said Felix Thielmann, senior project manager for DB Medibus at Deutsche Bahn AG.
Both the Medibus and Sky Lakes Medical Center are powerful examples of an industry-wide trend: Now more than ever, digital technologies are helping health care leaders address longstanding access challenges and reorient service delivery to be more effective and inclusive.
Ruggedized, secure router
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Treatment room
Lab area
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How remote work laid the foundation for resiliency
Health care, of course, wasn’t the only sector upended by the pandemic. Businesses were forced to fundamentally rethink how they operate in an environment where it’s unsafe for employees to be in the same room.
This new normal presents particular challenges for the fashion industry, where efficient collaboration between clients, designers, suppliers and production teams is vital. Italian designer and manufacturer Del Brenta has been working with some of the world’s biggest footwear brands for more than 50 years to make heels, wedges and platforms. But when the Italian government expanded its covid-19 lockdown to the entire country in March 2020, the company wasn’t sure if it would be able to operate remotely at 100 percent.
In fact, they were more than ready. In 2017, the firm had started using Cisco technologies, including Webex Teams, Webex Board and Webex DX80, which allowed for secure, seamless collaboration with customers that could be done from anywhere, on any device. With Webex—and the ability to call, message, meet, share files and create virtual workspaces for projects all in one place—Del Brenta already had the capabilities for a hybrid workplace and could pivot to this new way of working while maintaining security. As such, they were able to make a full transition to remote operations in just one day and maintain complete business continuity during Italy’s lockdown.
“Thanks to Cisco Webex, the design office was constantly interfacing with customers,” said Stefano Bezzon, head of innovation at Del Brenta. “Technical drawings were shared, discussed and modified in real time. They had the perception that we were open. Everything worked exactly as usual.”
Del Brenta is one of the numerous organizations around the world that leaned on Cisco technologies to stay resilient over the past year. Now, as the pandemic begins to abate, those same innovations are positioning organizations to be more agile as future challenges—and opportunities—inevitably arise. Just like in health care, business leaders are leveraging advanced digital tools to evolve for the better.
“Our ability to respond during the crisis allowed us to see how technology in general, and Webex in particular, can change the way we work in the future,” Bezzon said.
Thanks to Cisco Webex, the design office was constantly interfacing with customers. Technical drawings were shared, discussed and modified in real time. They had the perception that we were open. Everything worked exactly as usual.