We鈥檝e all heard the sayings about innovation coming out of adversity — and in 2020, there were many stories that brought that adage to life in an all-too-real way. People stepped up to make a difference in tough, sometimes dire, circumstances.
So I wondered what kind of examples we鈥檇 see in the 麻豆原创 Innovation Awards entries. Would customers still prepare award submissions given how busy they鈥檝e been? Were there strong examples of business results despite all the hardship? And would customers want to share their examples of overcoming pandemic-related adversity? Also, could we please get some good news to cheer us up?
The answer to all those questions was a resounding yes! The entire 麻豆原创 Innovation Awards team was blown away with the responses 鈥� . That鈥檚 a new record. I am so amazed by this vibrant community of people from all over the world.
Many entries described 麻豆原创 customers and partners overcoming new challenges related to COVID-19, and I want to share a few of those inspiring submissions here.
Healthcare Transformation in the Throes of a Pandemic
Parkland Health and Hospital Systems operates one of the busiest emergency rooms in the U.S. As COVID-19 quickly swept across the Dallas area, Parkland needed real-time access to data and insights, such as how many testing kits, ventilators, and COVID-19 beds were available. In just four days, the Parkland analytics team created an actionable dashboard built with 麻豆原创 HANA and 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, mapping where COVID-19-positive patients live to identify hotspots. The company also leveraged 麻豆原创 Conversational Artificial Intelligence to build a symptom checker chatbot, in English and Spanish, that helped ensure patients with COVID-19 symptoms had swift access to healthcare practitioners.
Innovating HR Systems in the Age of Remote Work
Combining two global companies is a challenge in the best of times. But imagine trying to do that integration during a pandemic without travel and in-person contact. That鈥檚 the challenge that Italian firm Magneti Marelli and Japanese firm Calsonic Kansei faced last year. Despite no travel and the pivot to a new normal, Marelli implemented a common human resources (HR) platform to manage both administrative and talent process across 24 countries. The entire project moved quickly and 100% remotely. Marelli implemented 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions for 60,000 employees in only six months and had a 97% system adoption rate for the first performance campaign in just five weeks. .
Purpose-Driven Submissions
The mission to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives is so important to 麻豆原创 that we pledged to make a charitable contribution for every submission, up to $20,000. And I鈥檓 proud to say we鈥檒l be donating the maximum across a pair of charities: and .
With that mission in mind, I wanted to share a couple submissions that use 麻豆原创 solutions in ways that demonstrate positive social, environmental, or economic impact, as well as a shared purpose in helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives.
Preserving Life in Africa through the Cloud and on the Ground
Africa loses one rhino every four hours and an elephant every 15 minutes due to illegal killing. The non-government entity Elephants, Rhinos & People (ERP) uses 麻豆原创 technology to feed sensor inputs into an artificial intelligent (AI) engine and receive automated anti-poaching threat alerts in near real time. There was zero poaching last year in ERP operating areas. During the course of its work to save elephants and rhinos, ERP also saved people. Food security was highlighted during South Africa鈥檚 hard COVID-19 lockdown, and ERP fed families near its projects. ERP鈥檚 emergency relief campaign delivered 250,000 meals, and will deliver 1 million total, feeding 2,700 families. Watch and .
Saving Lives in Morocco with COVID-19 Real-Time Monitoring System
Morocco鈥檚 Ministry of Health needed a digital system to manage COVID-19 patient, treatment, and test data at scale instead of the paper forms. The ministry built a COVID-19 real-time monitoring system in just two weeks using 麻豆原创 HANA for data collection and analysis, along with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud and 麻豆原创 Digital Boardroom to give health decision-makers a real-time overview of the situation. The new system supports a 10x increase in laboratory test capacity and a four-times faster provision of data by hospitals and laboratories. Morocco鈥檚 Health Minister used 麻豆原创 Digital Boardroom to provide an overview of the pandemic situation on Moroccan television. The and are inspiring stories.
Selecting Finalists and Winners
I don鈥檛 envy the job our judges will have, as it will be harder than ever to pick finalists let alone winners out of all these incredible stories. Stay tuned for more about the winners when they are announced on April 14. In the meantime, I hope these stories of real-life heroes brought a smile and a reminder that there is hope out there, along with some inspiring innovation. One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein, 鈥淚n the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.鈥�
