麻豆原创 SuccessFactors鈥� vision for the future of work brings together cloud technology, data, and analytics to put people at the center of business. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something we put into our product: the capability for organizations to change work for good,鈥� Green says.

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In the post-pandemic workplace, 麻豆原创 has identified people sustainability as a business imperative that is the foundation for all other organizational sustainability goals. Green steps into his new role at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors at a time when traditional HR tenets are coming under scrutiny and employees are voicing their requirements for flexibility, equitable pay, and purpose.

As organizations cope with market dynamics and a changing workforce, Green sees the opportunity for 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors鈥� comprehensive global HR platform to drive value for customers by strengthening the connection between HR and business operations, creating both a sustainable workforce and profitable organization.

Closing the Skills Gap to Meet Business Challenges

The skills gap crisis continues to intensify in the post-pandemic world, driven by the unrelenting pace of innovation and the new technologies in the workplace. For stable business operations amid the global turmoil, it is essential that organizations have a sustainable, healthy, and skilled workforce that can readily adapt to change. Helping organizations build new skills and uncover hidden skills in their existing workforce are among the strengths of 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors.

鈥淥rganizations are talking about how they skill and reskill people to build that resiliency and redundancy into the workforce, so that they are able to meet the challenges of the future,鈥� Green says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really where 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors plays a huge role in helping organizations understand what skills they have, what skills they need, and how to close that skill and experience gap.鈥�

Building High-Performing Teams with the Whole Self Model

The right skills alone will not create a sustainable, empowered workforce, as the lessons of post-pandemic work has shown. Employees are demanding to be valued as individuals with consideration for their holistic lived experiences, passions, and characteristics that make up who they are. Without this deep, powerful connection of the employee鈥檚 authentic self to the workplace culture, some may say, it鈥檚 just a job.

The whole self model is guiding how 麻豆原创 advances the 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors HXM Suite. By creating a way for organizations to identify people鈥檚 individual traits, like team strengths and work styles, as well as their passions and motivations, they can improve DE&I, create better work experiences and build high-performing teams. Green says that the benefit to business is 鈥渂eing able to not just capture that data but being able to, at an organizational level, use that data to understand how to construct the best-running teams.鈥�

鈥淲hat are the psychological, the purposeful attributes, of people that make up a high-performing team? To be able to identify those people inside your current workforce and bring that forward 鈥� that鈥檚 the [power of the] whole self model,鈥� he says.

Understanding How Cultural Diversity Impacts Global Business

Green鈥檚 most recent role at 麻豆原创 was senior vice president and head of 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors, Asia Pacific and Japan. He has spent the last 10 years working and living across the Asia Pacific region, with six of those years at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors. At the mention of Asia Pacific and Japan, Green beams a smile. 鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 probably one of the proudest moments of my career,鈥� he says, referring to his time spent at 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors in the region. One of the things he found unique about Asia is its cultural diversity. He learned 鈥渨ith that cultural diversity comes different challenges in how you really run an organization and get the best out of your people and also make them feel included.鈥�

Building a diverse and inclusive team was one of Green鈥檚 greatest achievements. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud that as a leadership team in Asia Pacific and Japan over 46% of the workforce are female,鈥� he says, noting that the global average for female talent in tech organizations is 26%. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not just a reflection of the inclusivity of Asia Pacific, but it鈥檚 also the way we as a leadership team make sure our workforce reflects the communities that we operate in and serve.鈥�

Green intends to carry this valuable intercultural experience into how he manages and prioritizes to best serve the 9,000+ global customers of 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors. As he says, 鈥淚n order to serve those organizations, we have to have localization, that deep understanding of how to operate and how business needs to operate in that global but also very local context.鈥�

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There will be no recovery unless employees are fully engaged and their views on sustainability and new management styles are taken into account.

鈥淲e are very bullish about the post-COVID-19 era. We believe there will be a massive rebound,鈥� Vassoyan says, reminding us that choices made in times of crisis are known to shape the world for decades. Think of Roosevelt鈥檚 New Deal that spurred growth and reforms after the Great Depression of the 1930s creating jobs and legacies like Social Security that have lasted to this day.

While it is not the only factor, COVID-19 could be the main accelerator driving economic and social change in our century. Digital transformation was already happening before the pandemic, but it was being adopted at a more leisurely pace. There was no sense of urgency to implement new ways of working and learning or providing services such as virtual care through digital channels.

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Addressing the Digital Divide

In his position at Atos, Vassoyan鈥檚 mission is to help create a sustainable, high-quality global health system. This entails working with healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the life sciences industry to pivot from traditional patient treatment to actively promoting patient wellness both within, and increasingly outside, of hospital or laboratory settings.

Success in all industries will depend on a motivated workforce, values such as decarbonization and inclusion at the heart of the transformation, and partnerships like the one with 麻豆原创 to help customers thrive in the new era.

Digitalization can be a double-edged sword. The pandemic has hastened the emergence of digital ecosystems consisting of suppliers, customers, and trading partners, all supported by digital platforms. Vassoyan maintains that around 70% of the value created in the next decade will come from these ecosystems and platforms as they create, share, and monetize data. In addition, digitalization has a direct impact on carbon neutrality, because it can reduce up to 20% of all CO2 emissions.

But in some ways the pandemic has further strengthened the digital divide. On one hand, technology was a key enabler for enterprises to set up home office for their employees, and it has enabled digital businesses such as e-commerce or e-banking to thrive. On the other hand, digital inequality reinforces social inequality. Many informal workers or people in insecure jobs still cannot use, or do not have adequate access to technology, thereby limiting their access to information, job opportunities, training, and social services.

How well we build back will be highly dependent on our collective ability to share and utilize data, the Atos executive says. Companies are sitting on vast amounts of valuable data that are difficult to safeguard, share, and monetize. Data equity requires initiatives to such as , a federated data infrastructure for Europe, or the International Data Space Association (IDSA), which provides safe data spaces for trusted partners governed by standards and certification for data exchange. Safe data spaces are a requirement for fruitful cooperation and limitless innovation in the data economy of the future.

Decarbonizing Is Key

At Atos, is the underlying driver for change. It鈥檚 about operations and sustainability and it鈥檚 about reducing and eliminating carbon dioxide through a strategic approach leading to a carbon-free economy.

In the wake of the pandemic, the company decided to raise the bar. Initially targeted for 2035, the company brought its net-zero target forward to 2028. In 2020, Atos鈥檚 datacenter global energy consumption dropped by 15% while the share of renewable carbon-free electricity grew to 55% from 32% a year before. At the same time, the company is switching to an all-electric car fleet by 2024. Now, Atos is transferring knowledge and best practices to thousands of customers around the globe.

Vassoyan believes digital practices alone can have a direct impact on carbon emissions, dropping them by 20% globally. He also sees a lot of collaborative opportunities with 麻豆原创. But deploying technology is not enough. Companies must create tailored environments for employees and invest in changing the management culture. Only then can they achieve frictionless working models involving ubiquitous technology and flexible organization structures.

Rising Together

As a global leader in digital transformation, Atos sees cloud as the key vehicle for business changes, because it delivers speed, flexibility, and innovation. The company recently announced , a unique initiative to help enterprises speed up their move to the cloud with the help of Atos鈥檚 consulting services, application transformation expertise, and cloud accelerators.

As the executive sponsor of the 麻豆原创 relationship, Vassoyan is excited about implementing , an offering that brings together the 麻豆原创 solutions and services needed for such a shift. Atos is implementing RISE with 麻豆原创 with the hyperscalers, leveraging their bare metal systems and solutions. During the first phase, Atos will move its current 麻豆原创 S/4HANA software to the cloud, so that it can adopt the latest leading business practices and product innovations delivered by 麻豆原创. This will also allow Atos to share firsthand experiences, best practices, and benefits with its customers.

Vassoyan says 麻豆原创 S/4HANA is an obvious choice for increased business agility, better insights, increased employee productivity, and improved operational efficiency. RISE with 麻豆原创 enables a rapid conversion of existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) environments to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, and its cloud-based architecture enables Atos to leverage and retain existing systems while accelerating its own company-wide digital transformation.

RISE with 麻豆原创 provides the best of both worlds 鈥� the robustness of a traditional on-premise application combined with the flexibility of subscription-based cloud economics. Atos benefits from the full ERP functionality, including add-ons and joint innovations with 麻豆原创, and from the ability to scale, innovate, and enhance.

It鈥檚 a win win for both 麻豆原创 and Atos and its customers.

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That was bad enough, but then along came COVID-19.

Heed the Warning

Thanks to social distancing, lockdowns, and the new virtual world of work, it鈥檚 becoming even more difficult to cope. In the past, at least there was face-to-face interaction with colleagues and customers. There were opportunities to wind down and socialize. Home life and work life were spatially delineated 鈥� the commute between home and office provided an opportunity to transition mentally between two worlds.

Now it all blends together. People are working from their kitchen tables while they try to homeschool the kids. Around the world, people are struggling to juggle work and family responsibilities with no respite.

The statistics are troubling. According to the World Economic Forum, one in three adults is depressed or anxious due to COVID-19. Headlines like “Quarantine Magnifies Depression and Alcoholism” and “Drug Use Increase During COVID-19” warn of the dire straits we鈥檙e in.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that depression interferes with a person鈥檚 ability to complete physical job tasks about 20% of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time.

麻豆原创 North America President DJ Paoni was alarmed by these statistics and even more alarmed by the results of recent Qualtrics employee pulse surveys on remote work at 麻豆原创.

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Take the Day Off

鈥淲e learned that a third of our employees have stress levels that are higher than their satisfaction level. Sixty-one percent said that they’re working slightly above capacity,鈥� he explained in an interview.

Paoni decided to act. Seeing the need for employees to unplug, he worked with local and global teams to implement 麻豆原创鈥檚 Mental Health Day, a company-sponsored global holiday for all employees, scheduled for April 27. Work will grind to a halt on that day, giving everyone time off to do something for themselves and their families.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just another day off,鈥� says Paoni. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a clear message from the company that it鈥檚 okay to relax. Healthier employees mean happier customers, so there is a business benefit in the long run.鈥�

Don鈥檛 Feel Guilty Taking a Mental Health Day

Dr. Natalie Lotzmann, chief medical officer at 麻豆原创, explains the importance of the initiative. How well we deliver on our business goals sustainably depends on our well-being, she says. The pandemic has compounded existing challenges and created a new dimension of mental distress for many people. With Mental Health Day, 麻豆原创 is signaling a strong commitment to its employees 鈥� and to society at large 鈥� that mental health is important, and there is no place for stigma in the workplace.

Lotzmann confirms the increase in mental health challenges during COVID-19. Reports from 麻豆原创鈥檚 global Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a confidential counselling service for employees, show a 28% increase in calls in 2020, continuing an upward trend apparent since 2017.

Mental health conditions are quite common. , some of the top causes of disability worldwide include disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. About one out of four Americans ages 18 and older suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder every year.

So why is there still a stigma?

鈥淪tigma usually stems from a lack of understanding or fear of the unknown,鈥� says Lotzmann. 鈥淭丑别 fact that people don鈥檛 talk about the situation makes it harder to understand.鈥�

Lotzmann says the best way to remove stigma is to encourage people to share their experiences, providing employees with the strength and courage to reach out for help. Sharing experiences will also help showcase the support and positive culture that exists within the company.

What You Can Do

Over the years, Lotzmann has witnessed an evolution in the way enterprises are dealing with this topic. She has observed a positive shift but emphasizes that it鈥檚 not a tick-the-box exercise or campaign that employers do with bells and whistles. Rather, such a change must be nurtured and adopted organically through a culture of leadership, open dialogue, and awareness of available resources.

Attention to the mental health of employees has dual benefits; it creates a healthy culture and has clear business benefits. At 麻豆原创, there are programs in place to help maintain the mental health of employees by prevention, early detection, case management support, and reintegration.

As the chief medical officer of 麻豆原创, Lotzmann reminds us that mental health can impact anyone at any time. Her advice? If it impacts you or a loved one, be aware that you are not alone. Take good care of yourself, pay attention to warning signs, and reach out for help early.

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Principal Patrice Henry is detailing the support measures the school staff provides to ensure that the students have access to a safe, modern learning environment, where they can master twenty-first century skills for competitive careers in the digital economy. For schools everywhere, this has been an extremely difficult year.

鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 a lot more trauma than we鈥檝e ever had in our history. We鈥檙e very mindful of that,鈥� Ms. Henry says. 鈥淲e just try to create a really strong community. We鈥檙e looking for all these indicators of student performance. If students are falling low in any of those categories, then we have to go into different tiers of support.鈥�

With the exception of the class bell, the school hallways are quiet today. The 550 students of BTECH are at home, learning remotely 鈥� a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted education worldwide. Despite the turmoil the pandemic has brought to New York City, Ms. Henry and the school鈥檚 staff remain steadfastly dedicated to the school鈥檚 mission of 鈥渃ombining academic excellence with technical aptitude, thus empowering students to be successful in our modern, information-based global economy and community.鈥�

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麻豆原创 Supports Early College High Schools

As New York City went into lockdown last spring, BTECH, like most schools, shifted to online learning overnight. To ensure that no student was shut out from an opportunity to learn, educators at BTECH continued to closely monitor student attendance and participation in daily, live, interactive class sessions.

One indicator of student performance quickly drew Ms. Henry鈥檚 attention: Many of the students lacked reliable devices to log on to virtual classrooms and keep up with their schoolwork. In fact, a large number of students were struggling to maintain connectivity with mobile phones or unreliable devices that lacked the necessary capabilities for advanced coursework in a technology-focused study program. Many families in the community had suffered a loss of income from job furloughs or layoffs and were not in a position financially to afford a new device for their student.

As an industry partner for BTECH, 麻豆原创 stepped up to provide each student with a Chromebook or tablet so the pandemic wouldn鈥檛 have to mean a lost year of education for any student. Katie Booth, 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility lead for North America, says, 鈥淚t is essential that during this time we support needs that are central to students鈥� learning. At 麻豆原创, we trust that school leaders know what is needed, so this year we鈥檝e partnered with them to find ways to meet those needs, even if they鈥檙e outside the normal scope of our support.鈥�

麻豆原创 supports four high schools with early college elements and a focus on project-based learning in North America, including听; in Boston, Massachusetts;听听in Vancouver, British Columbia; and in Oakland, California. 麻豆原创 supports the schools through technical guidance and assistance, financial support, as well as student development opportunities through mentorship, 麻豆原创 office visits, and soft skills training.

Staying Connected at Oakland鈥檚 Skyline High School

In Oakland, California, the students and teachers at Skyline High School鈥檚 Computer Science and Technology Academy faced similar challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school鈥檚 staff, who were forced to teach in an online learning format in mid-March, have had to navigate complex challenges that are social, educational, and technological.

鈥淭丑别 top priority is to keep kids engaged and make sure no one slips through the cracks right now,鈥� says Mark Frey, director and multimedia teacher at Skyline High School鈥檚 Computer Science and Technology Academy. 鈥淲e have a pretty elaborate support system in place, with a counselor, case manager, and assistant principal. We want to keep kids connected, so they don鈥檛 drift off. We鈥檙e also trying to maintain a quality educational environment, where the kids are continuing to learn.鈥�

Through resourcefulness and some clever engineering, Frey and his fellow teachers have implemented a technology solution to keep students connected to the school鈥檚 computers to do their course work. Called , the free and open-source software from Apache ensures that students like Ravynne, a third-year student in the program with a passion for digital filmmaking, can connect to the school computers to work on projects for her multimedia class. She says the connection is stable enough that it has allowed her to gain valuable experience editing with Adobe Premiere Pro and that she is very grateful to the Skyline High School community for the opportunity to work with this powerful software suite.

Listen to the audio clips to hear Frey describe how Guacamole bridges the connectivity gap for students at Skyline High School鈥檚 Computer Science and Technology Academy.

Closing the Opportunity Gap

Adolescence is an extremely important time for both educational and social development, as underscored by the in its strategies to support high school students鈥� mental health during the pandemic. Traditionally, schools have provided a safe, secure environment for adolescents to explore new concepts and learn through interpersonal social interactions with a wide variety of people. With the school closures, cancellations of youth activities, and social distancing brought on by the pandemic, many students have had to develop a high level of resilience and self-reliance to get through this challenging time.

Some students, like Ravynne, find inspiration in role models at home. Ravynne says that her mother and sister motivate her to do her best at school and aim high for the future. Not surprisingly, this high schooler has developed sound habits that will prepare her for success. 鈥淭丑别 first thing I like to do is just write down a list of things that I need to get done throughout the day. Even if I don鈥檛 finish everything, that鈥檚 fine, but I鈥檒l try to get at least half done. That鈥檚 mainly how I鈥檓 staying organized,鈥� Ravynne says. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 studying, I like to go to a quiet place. My room is fine, but sometimes I will go outside and sit in my backyard.鈥�

However, many students at the schools that make up the 麻豆原创 Early College High School initiative have less secure support structures or home environments that have been deeply affected by the pandemic. These students are especially vulnerable to pressures that can derail their studies and affect their opportunities.

Frey describes some of the challenges that teachers face in trying to engage students through distance learning in an educational environment shaped by COVID-19.

Graduates Face Tough Decisions in an Unusual Year

At BTECH, Ms. Henry looks forward to the day the students will return to their classrooms and the hum of activity will fill the halls once again. In a virtual open forum event called 鈥淎sk Me Anything,鈥� many of the questions she fielded from students reflected their desire to reconnect with peers and find fellowship in the school鈥檚 robust offering of afternoon activities.

She knows that many of the students are facing difficult decisions about whether to continue their education after graduation or go directly into the workforce to help ease the financial strain on their families. Referencing statistics for the 2020 graduating class, she says, 鈥淣inety percent of them went directly to college. I鈥檓 not sure that鈥檚 going to be the case this year. I鈥檓 actually curious myself about what our numbers will look like, given the challenges that we鈥檙e having as a nation and definitely as New Yorkers.鈥�

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In a single subscription package, RISE with 麻豆原创 gives customers complete and comprehensive business transformation as a service. Customers can calculate upfront costs and incrementally realize benefits on their way to adopting 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud and becoming .

Jan Gilg, president of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, is particularly excited about this offering. 鈥淚’m most excited about the fact that this is now an avenue that will allow our customers to get access to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud, which is our flagship software. For a long time, there was discussion around 鈥楬ow do we do that?鈥� and 鈥楬ow do you convince customers to听do that?鈥欌��

Chart Your Course

With just three simple steps, RISE with 麻豆原创 helps customers be on their way to adopting a truly modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and becoming intelligent enterprises.

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It all begins with business process redesign. Look at how your processes run today and how you can optimize or streamline them. 麻豆原创 offers the tools to do just that, Gilg says. Next, think about how to get from where you are now to where you want to be in the future. What sort of technical migration is necessary to streamline and optimize current operations?

Finally, consider what is needed to transform into an intelligent enterprise, the ultimate goal in this process. Gilg explains, 鈥淭丑别 third step is to make use of the most critical components that enable companies to be intelligent enterprises: at the core, direct connectivity into 麻豆原创 Business Network, as well as .”

But just because this process has three steps, doesn鈥檛 mean the customer needs to be at step one to take advantage of RISE with 麻豆原创. Every customer is different 鈥� has different needs, different starting points, different future plans 鈥� and whether the customer is considering starting its journey to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud, in the middle of its journey, or moving to the public cloud, RISE with 麻豆原创 can help. 鈥淲e are picking the customer up no matter where they are in their journey,鈥� says Gilg.

The 鈥淕ame Changer鈥�

The notion of the Intelligent Enterprise resonates with customers and the need to become one is apparent, but they require 麻豆原创’s help to get there. After considering the transformation requirements from both a solution perspective and a technical, operational perspective, RISE with 麻豆原创 was created. Through this holistic offering, 麻豆原创 offers its customers all the services and software components they need to become an intelligent enterprise under just one contract.

It鈥檚 a game changer, says Gilg. 鈥淚t allows customers to combine some of our greatest assets and get business value from our latest and greatest solutions, with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud at the heart of it.鈥�

But Wait, There鈥檚 More

RISE with 麻豆原创 also offers avenues into other 麻豆原创 products and services. It helps drive the adoption of 麻豆原创 Business Network, industry cloud solutions from 麻豆原创, partner offerings, and even 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform 鈥� all of which propel customers towards achieving the Intelligent Enterprise. We recognize that, in order for our customers to be successful, we need to work together with our partners 鈥� who are key players in leading the Intelligent Enterprise 鈥� and help them be flexible in the way customers consume 麻豆原创 software.

鈥淭his is an offering where we throw a lot of value together, but, in the end, all those components fit together and help customers to become an intelligent enterprise,鈥� says Gilg.

The advanced technologies and agile business processes that come with being an intelligent enterprise are what any business needs to navigate the uncertainty that was 2020, is 2021, and will be in the future. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the right point in time to offer this and help our customers accelerate their journey to our flagship product, 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud,鈥� says Gilg.

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鈥淭丑别 flow of groceries, pharmaceuticals, and other essential goods is a stark reminder that transportation networks that bring those necessities to people are as vital as the goods themselves,鈥� noted last month. 鈥淭丑别 industry has long been preparing for a future — in which freight demand will rise by nearly 40 percent over the next 20 years — investing in technology, streamlining operations, and modernizing services.鈥�

(CP) is ready for this future, having undergone a digital transformation that helps CP run its network spanning more than 13,000 miles of railroad across the U.S. and Canada — along with people, freight, and equipment.

A single source of truth across multiple systems offers CP .

鈥淩ailway is playing a mission-critical role in helping products move across North America,鈥� CP Chief Information Officer Mike Redeker said. 鈥淲e help the economy, not only moving the products, but we help people maintain their jobs, whether they鈥檙e at the ports, the trucking companies, [or] a Walmart or Target.鈥�

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helps CP do all of this faster and more efficiently than ever before.

When Trains Aren鈥檛 Your Only Fast and Stable Assets

鈥淚t鈥檚 very fast, I mean blindingly fast, where we had some processes that used to take five, six hours now take minutes,鈥� said Dean Stoffel, director of Program Management for 麻豆原创 Technical Services at CP. 鈥淭丑别 stability that gave us, and the credibility with our end customers inside of CP, helped shift perspectives of us to more of a partner than a cost. It鈥檚 been a huge impact.鈥�

That鈥檚 because when a CP system is down, that outage delays the company鈥檚 trains, and longer delays cost the business more and more time and money. has helped dramatically reduce CP system downtime.

鈥淥ver the course of six years, we鈥檝e moved from about 1,200 hours down to between 15 and 60 hours on an annualized basis,鈥� Redeker said. 鈥淵ou can see the productivity improvement in the movement of trains and cost savings.鈥�

System outages at CP have gone from weekly ordeals to a blip every few weeks or months, according to Redeker and Stoffel. Outages longer than 30 minutes cause problems — while outages below that half-hour threshold have virtually no impact on the business.

鈥淏efore, we could have a system down for six, eight hours. Now a 10-minute or 20-minute interval is my max downtime for a hard crash,鈥� Stoffel said. 鈥淭hat means that even if we do have a high-severity issue on one of our systems, the outage is very short.鈥�

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That also means that IT has become an engine for growth.

Partner Ecosystem Moves CP Beyond IT

CP has moved beyond traditional IT roles, according to Redeker and Stoffel. They describe their team as a flexible support structure that enables growth and success throughout the company, from operations to sales to marketing and more.

鈥淯ptime is king, but that stability has given us the ability to deliver more to our business,鈥� Stoffel shared. 鈥淎s we made this journey on a more standardized 麻豆原创 HANA-based environment, we鈥檝e increased by seven-fold our delivery of new processes and technologies to the business; yet our stability has not decreased.鈥�

Delivering more to the business has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more employees than ever work from home, according to Stoffel. And a rich partner ecosystem has also improved CP鈥檚 ROI:

• helped CP migrate to 麻豆原创 HANA, optimizing the platform
• , based on the Xeon processor, helps ensure much faster restart times when outages occur
• Cisco teamed with Intel for new memory and new processor technology

Together with 麻豆原创 HANA, these technologies help CP better manage memory and minimize downtime.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 Intel, Cisco, or 麻豆原创, every one of these business partners are critical to our success. If any one of us fails, we all fail,鈥� Redeker said. 鈥淲e could not be where we are today — as an organization in a maturing IT shop — without the partnership from these vendors.鈥�

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That鈥檚 especially powerful in .

More Powerful Than A Locomotive

鈥淲e鈥檙e a 130-plus-year-old company, we鈥檝e got a lot of data out there,鈥� Stoffel said. 鈥淏ut when we migrated this, we had a 10-minute actual system outage — 10 minutes — to migrate more than six terabytes!鈥�

That “unheard of” number is indicative of the substantial efficiency and stability of 麻豆原创 HANA, according to Stoffel. Those qualities, in turn, save CP significant money on data storage, given the capabilities of the ecosystem鈥檚 software and hardware, and how well integrated they are.

鈥淲e have more [data] in one place, which means we don鈥檛 have to duplicate it as much,鈥� Stoffel said. 鈥淲e have more accurate information for our business users, and smaller systems take less time to come up. And fewer systems mean less total cost of ownership.鈥�

Keeping Us Connected

All of this helps CP continue to connect North America and the world, even as COVID-19 keeps road borders between the U.S. and Canada closed. This 21st-century railway continues to move goods between the two countries.

鈥淭丑别 rail industry is considered an essential service in North America, and we鈥檙e able to cross the border into the U.S. and back on a regular basis,鈥� Redeker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to do that freely, and we do it daily.鈥�

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鈥淭丑别y are the end users three of our co-innovation projects were aimed at,鈥� says , global head of 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab, a developer network spanning 16 locations worldwide. The network works with its global ecosystem of customers, partners, and startups to develop solutions that make people鈥檚 lives a little bit easier.

These solutions are three examples of more than 1,000 co-innovation projects that 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab completed successfully over the last 13 years. 鈥淐o-innovation is a part of our DNA here at 麻豆原创,鈥� says Held. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been one of the foundations for 麻豆原创鈥檚 success. With the launch of the network, we took it to the next level.鈥�

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There are various departments at 麻豆原创 that focus on co-innovation and help the Walldorf software giant stay ahead of the game. But 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab鈥檚 approach is unique. In each of its co-innovation projects, a partner, a customer, and experts from 麻豆原创 are involved.

Enabling Partners, Answering Customers鈥� Business Needs

鈥淲e facilitate and support co-innovation between 麻豆原创 and its ecosystem of startups, 麻豆原创 partners, future partners, and customers. Co-innovation opens a world of possibilities,鈥� Held says. 鈥淲hat counts is making the most of an idea 鈥� together. Technological change has become so rapid and today鈥檚 tech scene is so diverse and specialized that it would be neglectful not to join forces to bring the greatest possible value to a customer.鈥�

Founding 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in 2007 was a strategic decision. 鈥淎t 麻豆原创, we realized that a strong ecosystem can create value for customers by providing complementary solutions and adding functional gaps for 麻豆原创 products,鈥� says , head of 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Shanghai.

, solution specialist from Brazil, explains, 鈥淪ome solutions might not be feasible or profitable for 麻豆原创, but for our partner ecosystem they are. That鈥檚 why it is so important to keep a trustful relationship with our partners.鈥�

The emotional side of working with customers and partners is also important, says , program director at 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Dubai. 鈥淲orking with our partners and customers we want to find the best way to enhance the way they work and come up with agile solutions. To connect with them on an emotional, technical, and practical level, we make strong use of design thinking, ideation, and prototyping sessions to help us generate ideal outputs.鈥�

This mindset also shows in the way collaboration takes place. And its engagement model offers developers the chance to work in complementary teams with employees from other 麻豆原创 units, the customer, and the partner.

鈥淓veryone brings their specific technical expertise, and we are all smarter after the project than we were when we started it,鈥� says , senior software engineer with 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Paris. 鈥淔or me, as a software engineer, 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab is a dream-come-true working environment. We get to play with the latest technologies and solutions and build innovative prototypes, all while constantly improving our own skills as well as the partner鈥檚.鈥�

, technology innovation architect also from 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Paris, points out the need to tackle global problems on a global scale: 鈥淚nnovation today differs from models adopted in the past that focused mainly on profit and targeted one specific society at a time. Looking ahead to future societies, it is crucial to foster innovative solutions that generate social and public value.鈥�

Co-Innovation: Integral Part of Intelligent Enterprise Survival Kit

鈥淕aining a common understanding of what the partner can and would like to do [and] how this can then be technically implemented with our products,鈥� is the greatest daily challenge, says , co-innovation architect at 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Zurich. 鈥淓xpectations, technologies, and requirements change in every project. But if it鈥檚 done right, customers receive what was promised by the partner 鈥� plus the integrated and extended added value of their 麻豆原创 installations.

鈥淐hange is no longer a choice as we are in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, which has a scale and complexity like nothing we have experienced before,鈥� says Labidi.听鈥淚 see what 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab is doing 鈥� sharing knowledge, collaborative thinking, and complex system prototyping 鈥� as a key part of the Intelligent Enterprise survival kit.鈥�

All of this makes 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab an attractive and well-known entry point for partners, according to Rigo. 鈥淚t is the best way a partner can start an engagement with 麻豆原创 鈥� whether they are new to the 麻豆原创 ecosystem or an existing partner exploring a new solution.鈥�

For customers who want to do proof of concept or pilot projects using 麻豆原创 products with low initial investment and risk, 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab is an excellent option as well, says , head of the lab location in Seoul. 鈥溌槎乖� Co-Innovation Lab provides partners and customers not only with technical support but also with business advice. In a company as large as 麻豆原创, it can be challenging to find the right contact person. The lab gives partners and customers access to its network of product and solution experts.鈥�

Continuous Learning and Diversity: Recipe for Success

As 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab employees cannot be experts in each and every 麻豆原创 product, they constantly need to bring their knowledge up to date effectively and quickly.

鈥淚鈥檓 relatively new,鈥� says , innovation engineer at 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Johannesburg. 鈥淏ut what I noticed right from the beginning is that I have to continuously keep learning about new technologies that 麻豆原创 partners might want to use in a co-innovation project. And I often have to revise my understanding of technologies I鈥檓 already familiar with.鈥�

While this is challenging for the 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab developers, it adds to the speed at which their co-innovation projects are executed. 鈥淎s we all stay up to date with the latest technological advancements, this helps us to deliver solutions quickly,鈥� Phiri adds.听鈥淔or our customers, this reduces the risk of partnering with 麻豆原创. They get to build a solution quickly and affordably before attempting to tackle the rest of the partnering journey.鈥�

, data scientist at 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab in Johannesburg, says, 鈥淲ithin the network, there is this enormous sense of collaboration. Different ideas are exchanged in a global team of experts in diverse fields. Customers can rest assured that the team effort in every project is steered towards achieving customer success.鈥�

鈥淚 love how at 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab we are never serving just one line of business or working with just one kind of technology,鈥� says , co-innovation intern at the lab location in Dubai. 鈥淚nstead, we get to use the most innovative technology in every challenge brought to us and help the customer evolve in their own business.鈥�

She considers diversity one of the network鈥檚 most important assets. 鈥淎ll my colleagues come from different parts of the globe. So do our customers and partners. That is essential to how ideas are shared, developed, and innovated upon.鈥�

To Phiri, diversity plays an integral role in his daily work as well. 鈥淚 think 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab might be one of the most diverse teams within 麻豆原创,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a Black person from South Africa, and I get to work with colleagues from various other backgrounds 鈥� Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Latinx, European. Not only is everybody made welcome and fostered in the same way, we make this diversity part of our strength.鈥�

Held emphasizes the need to have a diverse team in order to develop solutions that will improve the lives of different people in different countries. 鈥淚t broadens everybody鈥檚 horizons, leads to a better understanding of the world and the potential users of our solutions. To me, the fact that we have 50 brilliant people in 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab 鈥� from different countries and backgrounds with different genders and different expertise 鈥� is the key to our success.鈥�

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鈥淯ntil the pandemic arrived, we lived in a vast, elaborate, whirring contraption that delivered culture and commerce at spectacular speeds, with astonishing efficiency,鈥� wrote the author of a .

What happened to the great American logistics machine? It fell apart. Back in March, that COVID-19 had disrupted their supply chain. Companies that chose not to invest in their supply chain in previous years either crashed or suffered a severe hit this year due to lack of resiliency. Even did not escape unscathed.

What Went Wrong

According to the Harvard Business Review, the challenge for companies after the pandemic subsides will be to make their . Before the pandemic, manufacturers in most industries depended on suppliers and subcontractors that narrowly focused on just one area. Those specialists, in turn, usually relied on many others. The advantages of this arrangement include flexibility in what goes into the product as well as the ability to incorporate the latest technology. But relying on a single supplier somewhere deep in its network for a crucial component or material leaves manufacturers vulnerable.

In a recent discussion, Takshay Aggarwal, group lead for IBM Digital Supply Chain, and Darcy MacClaren, senior vice president of Digital Supply Chain for 麻豆原创 North America, discussed reasons for supply chain failure and talked about the IBM and 麻豆原创 partnership, which offers a truly transformative road map for supply chain excellence.

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Aggarwal spoke about logistics problems during the pandemic. 鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 a lot of logistics transformation going on right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淪upply chains broke down because in their efforts to save dollars, companies were single sourcing things. They didn’t have alternatives. And when there were fluctuations, they were not able to accommodate them with alternatives such as other transportation lanes.鈥�

He explained that companies were not prepared for shifts in demand, such as selling to more grocery stores rather than to restaurants. Grocery retail requires different packaging and different types of transportation. Local optimum does not mean global optimum. It is not enough to have islands of excellence in each function, so enterprises are moving toward intelligent workflows, which are more agile by nature. Aggarwal believes companies will have to look at their overall logistics strategy, from carrier network rationale to their ability to react to change.

What Needs to Change

MacClaren said data has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks for most enterprises, because they store massive amounts of data in different silos.

鈥淟ack of visibility into real-time data greatly hampers a company鈥檚 predictive capabilities,鈥� she explained. 鈥淎ll our customers want to improve their ability to predict the future. And if that鈥檚 not possible, then they want to improve their response.鈥�

MacClaren believes the best way for suppliers to meet the challenge is by putting the customer at the center, then organizing to deliver the perfect experience through a multichannel, multimodal supply chain.

Both experts agreed on the two key factors behind the collapse of supply chains: lack of agility and the inability to respond in real time. One factor preventing agility is the use of disparate systems. 鈥淚f you have to pull all the information you need for analysis from different points, and then you have to do it again and again, it really slows you down,鈥� MacClaren said. 鈥淔olks just didn’t have visibility to do their job. True agility depends on the interoperability of systems.鈥�

They also agree on the critical factors for recovery. Companies should begin by figuring out what part of the process is most broken. While it is important to create a holistic journey for transformation, every supply chain has its own needs depending on the industry and the customer. In addition to applying technology to the supply chain, companies also need to facilitate cultural change. This is where the concept of intelligent workflows, rather than individual processes, plays a key role.

Win-Win for Customers

Aggarwal sees a huge opportunity for the Internet of Things (IoT) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for demand sensing and forecasting. 鈥淚BM has always been on the cutting edge of emerging tech;,be it blockchain, AI, or IoT,鈥� he shared. 鈥淏y combining 麻豆原创鈥檚 industrial scale enterprise solutions with IBM鈥檚 new, most promising technology, we can drive that exponential value for our customers.鈥�

For MacClaren, the 麻豆原创 and IBM combination of intelligent technologies and a truly transformational road map of where to go is what can make the difference for future supply chain excellence. Now is the time to prepare, she said, so those 鈥渧ast, elaborate, whirring contraptions鈥� really do deliver culture and commerce at spectacular speeds, with astonishing efficiency, even amid a global crisis.

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The new is designed to help real enterprises succeed by examining business objectives and connecting them to relevant 麻豆原创 capabilities in a strategic and engaging way.

Why Play

Tom Janoshalmi, global head of for 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Movement, believes the need for customers to understand the value and benefits of moving to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA is greater than ever. COVID-19 has shaken the world, and enterprises are scrambling to address issues such as sourcing challenges and managing remote work. 麻豆原创 software can help manage and adjust to the changes that are happening inside their companies, with their customers, and with their supply chains.

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But customers need better guidance on how 麻豆原创 S/4HANA can help them address potential supply chain disruptions, identify alternative sources of supply, and move goods efficiently and cost effectively.

鈥淥ne of our objectives with the 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Movement program redesign was to change the language and depart from technical upgrades,鈥� Janoshalmi said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e developed a virtual board game for 麻豆原创 sales teams to play with their customers to help them discover the value of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. The engagement starts with identifying the customer鈥檚 business objectives and helps them find relevant 麻豆原创 solutions in an intelligent, mindful way.鈥�

How to Play

To play the game, you need an 麻豆原创 facilitator, who can be someone from a presales team, a value advisor, or even a partner. The players are the relevant people at the customer, and the goals of the game are simple.

The first goal is to educate the customer about the capabilities of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. Next, the players identify the business value of moving to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA by discussing the customer鈥檚 current operations. The goal of this step is to help the customer discover the value drivers 鈥� in other words, the advantages of making the move. Lastly, the customer鈥檚 ultimate goal is to identify realistic, achievable outcomes. The 麻豆原创 facilitator鈥檚 role is to keep the flow going and promote collaboration between the teams. The virtual board game can be played from the financial or line-of-business, such as procurement or supply chain, perspective.

Why It Works

Humans are naturally playful creatures, and gamification 鈥� turning a business process or learning task into a participatory game 鈥� has proven to be an effective strategic tool.

Like any great board game, this one is a winner because it engages the players from the outset. It involves strategic thinking and smart decision-making, and leaves nothing to chance. Rules are well defined and logical, and players move seamlessly from one action to the next. The purpose is clearly defined, and the outcome is a clear plan of action. And, like any great game, it can be played repeatedly to achieve better and better results.

鈥淐ustomers appreciate that we are simplifying very complex topics and giving them a fresh way of communicating with each other and with 麻豆原创,鈥� Janoshalmi said. 鈥淚t enables them to do some critical thinking about their situation and actually see that their objectives are achievable. They can see how 麻豆原创 S/4HANA fits into their own strategic roadmap.鈥�

Sales teams around the world are excited about this new tool for engaging with 麻豆原创 customers. Eduardo Rubia, part of the Business Transformation Services team in Latin America, says the gamified approach was instrumental in helping executives at the largest oil and gas company in the region discuss their business objectives and create the right conditions for a fast value discovery.

Customers like PVH, one of the largest apparel companies in the world, that have already made the move, believe 麻豆原创 S/4HANA gives them the transparency and flexibility needed for growth. The new 麻豆原创 S/4HANA virtual board bame will help others discover exactly how it can help them reach the next level on their digital journey by supporting innovation, modernization, digitalization, and scalability.

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鈥淚f we learn anything from this crisis, it鈥檚 that companies that have digitally transformed are doing fine 鈥� or better 鈥� than other companies that face severe challenges,鈥� Mueller said.

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In a recent interview, he explained how new IT solutions make companies more agile and resilient, as well as help to address new problems that have emerged as a result of COVID-19.

Innovating Quickly to Tackle COVID-19 Challenges

When countries started going into lockdown and international flights were cancelled in March, millions of people were stranded abroad. Germany alone counted approximately a quarter million of its residents left without a way to return. To help bring them home, the German government reached out to 麻豆原创.

Mueller recalls the initial conversation: 鈥淚 got a call from the foreign ministry asking for help to bring stranded Germans back. That was when commercial flights were stopped overnight, almost globally.鈥�

He mobilized his team and within 23 hours provided a secure app that allowed citizens to register their personal information — like address and passport number — so they could be tracked and safely brought home.

To Mueller, that demonstrated two critical points. First, 麻豆原创 employees are nimble and motivated. 鈥淚 immediately had 16 people raising their hands, available to work through the night — and then more people joined from other time zones,鈥� he shared. Second, it is another example of how 麻豆原创 applications fulfill the company鈥檚 mission to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. Using 麻豆原创 technology, the team quickly built an application that safely repatriated 240,000 people.

This is just one example of how Mueller鈥檚 team, which develops a suite of products contained in the , has rallied to respond to the pandemic.

His organization also developed a contact tracing app in collaboration with Deutsche Telekom. The Corona-Warn-App was created in 50 days using open source code and made available on . The app has been downloaded more than 19 million times. And at the request of the European Commission, Deutsche Telekom and 麻豆原创 are helping to ensure interoperability of select contact tracing apps across Europe.

麻豆原创 has also created an app called 鈥淣ever Lunch Alone鈥� to support employees in the isolation many people are struggling with during quarantine. It connects co-workers virtually so they can socialize with colleagues during lunch, as if they were eating together in the company cafeteria.

Pandemic Highlights Importance of Digital Transformation

Mueller believes that digital transformation is more important than ever. 鈥淭his is something COVID-19 has really accelerated,鈥� he said.鈥� Companies realize that projects 鈥� like 麻豆原创 transformation projects — are extremely important.鈥�

麻豆原创鈥檚 Business Technology Platform gives companies a path to digitize and become intelligent enterprises. It includes database and data management, analytics, application development and integration, and intelligent technologies like machine learning.

Mueller explains that the Business Technology Platform offers a foundation for 麻豆原创 applications that manages critical business processes like customer relationship management (CRM), procurement, human resources (HR), production, finance, and supply chain. It integrates those processes, helping ensure they run together smoothly. It also helps to extend 麻豆原创 applications, provide consolidated insight into 麻豆原创 and non-麻豆原创 data, and increase speed and agility.

Delivery Hero, one of world鈥檚 largest food delivery services, uses the Business Technology Platform solutions to manage IT projects and help the company scale. For example, 麻豆原创 helps the company analyze and monitor cash flow, which has allowed Delivery Hero to automate its capital-approval process so restaurants receive payments more quickly.

鈥淒elivery Hero saw their order volume surge during this pandemic,鈥� Mueller said. 鈥淭丑别y now get more than 1.5 million orders per day via 麻豆原创 systems. They could scale this very fast with this solid and agile technology foundation.鈥�

Empathy and Communication Are More Important Than Ever

With the pandemic and other major challenges like the wildfires in California, Mueller shared that his biggest learning is 鈥渓eading with empathy. That means listening, which is tough if you’re not on site.鈥�

To stay close to employees around the world and find out what they need, remote checks-ins with colleagues were run using surveys. 鈥淲e learned a lot from that and improving communication was the top point,鈥� he explained. 鈥淲e do that regularly, and now more than three-quarters of our employees vote positively regarding their wellbeing.鈥�

In addition to more frequent teleconferences, Mueller believes leaders need to make an extra effort to talk to employees. 鈥淚 regularly videos record and talk spontaneously about what is top of mind for me, how do I feel. And I get a lot of positive feedback.鈥�

Mueller has been impressed by empathy he sees among teammates: 鈥淚’m extremely proud that our employees really put in the extra mile, go the extra effort, and stand in for each other. There’s a lot of camaraderie and teamwork.鈥�

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鈥淭丑别 Business Technology Platform is the underpinnings of the Intelligent Enterprise,鈥� Khan explained in a recent interview. 鈥淚n order to become intelligent enterprises, customers need a fundamental business layer. That is what the Business Technology Platform is.鈥�

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Khan describes the Business Technology Platform as comprising a collection of different assets. First and foremost, he says, is a substantial database component, which has 麻豆原创 HANA at the center of it but it also includes embedded analytics along with the ability to incorporate horizontal business analytics.

Other components include robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI).

鈥淭丑别 final piece is a very substantial integration capability delivered through 麻豆原创 Cloud Platform, which is another very fundamental cornerstone of Business Technology Platform as well,鈥� he shared.

Business Technology Platform is the horizontal technology foundation for 麻豆原创鈥檚 intelligence suite of applications, the basis for the industry cloud, and the platform for delivering the best customer experiences. According to Khan, it will enable customers to be able to realize even more value from their investments in 麻豆原创 technology from their core business and contextual data.

In addition, Khan argues that the Business Technology Platform opens the 麻豆原创 environment up to community developers and citizen developers.

鈥淭丑别y can all now interact and take the value of 麻豆原创鈥檚 core business processes,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n actual fact, we鈥檙e not only providing process excellence, we are providing data excellence as well now. That gives much more of a fluid way of looking at all the content, all of the data, all the information that may be available within inside of the enterprise and outside. So we could think of it as unlocking the hidden value in data which already exists.鈥�

As a result, Khan believes both customers and partners will be able to further 鈥渁mplify the value鈥� inherent in the very substantial 麻豆原创 footprint across industries and geographies.

ne of the key lessons Khan says 麻豆原创 has learned over the years is that applications must be able to run in a variety of different environments. Today, for example, 麻豆原创 software and services must be able to run across different hyperscaler and infrastructure environments.

The second ingredient for success is to focus on making 麻豆原创 technology 鈥渙pen to all developers out there,鈥� Khan explained.

Thirdly, he said, 鈥渆very partner and every direct customer wants to have a robust, almost bulletproof environment to be able to build their innovations.鈥�

He says this is exactly what the Business Technology Platform delivers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an ever-expanding set of services that we鈥檙e adding and over time it will fulfill not just their current needs, but their future needs as well.鈥�

Khan described the Business Technology Platform as 鈥渁 living, evolving platform,鈥� that will enable customers to access not just 麻豆原创 data, but all sets of data, including externally generated Big Data, in a trusted manner.

鈥淥ur message is very simple,鈥� Khan said. 鈥淲e will actually want to make it very open, make your data work for you, independent of where it lives and where it sits today 鈥� at the edge or in a traditional data center.鈥�

For that reason alone, he says, 麻豆原创 will have a far stronger message than competitors to deliver to the market.

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Being a competitive job candidate has been especially tricky in some regions, such as South Korea, where a massive long-term stimulus package is underway.

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鈥淭丑别 Korean New Deal — parallel to the United States鈥� Great Depression-era program in the 1930s … calls for a 鈧�160 trillion ($133 million) investment by 2025 and creation of 550,000 new jobs,鈥� recently stated. 鈥淭丑别 Digital New Deal… centers on developing technologies that have been tied to the fourth industrial revolution, including 5G, artificial intelligence [and] 鈥榰ntact鈥� technology, which promotes a contact-free society.鈥�

Such stimulus packages — and the COVID-19 crisis itself — underscore the need to hire skilled people who can implement and run an intelligent enterprise, according to Rudolf Held, global head of . This is true around the world, but 麻豆原创鈥檚 efforts to help began with underemployed university graduates in South Korea.

See the Picture

鈥淲e wanted to help them find jobs,鈥� Held said. 鈥淭丑别refore, we teamed up with the Training and Adoption team and the Korean government. We collaborated with an institute under the to design and run a program that would equip these young people with the right skills that are needed in the market.鈥�

According to Held, those marketable skills span the entire innovation process from start to finish across an ecosystem 鈥� different companies, schools, and other organizations. Building on lessons learned from previous programs, 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab expands students鈥� comfort zones beyond technology and their university coursework.

鈥溌槎乖� Co-innovation Lab is actually all about collaborative innovation with the 麻豆原创 ecosystem of customers, partners, startups, and academia, providing them with this broader view, a broader skillset,鈥� Held said.

These broadened horizons have been vital, according to a recent university graduate and program alumnus.

Standing Out from the Crowd

鈥淚 had less experience than others, so it was very difficult to prepare for employment in Korea,鈥� said Young Wan Roh, who completed his 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab and Training and Adoption project last November via 麻豆原创 technology consultancy . 鈥淚 think the three-month project experience has helped a lot.鈥�

It helped so much that he became a much more attractive job candidate in a very competitive job market, according to Roh, who graduated from in February. In addition to ecosystem-wide innovation, he learned valuable lessons about working with other students from different disciplines — and how to manage them.

鈥淢y major is computer engineering, so I led the team and I taught my teammates,鈥� said Roh, who now works as an ABAP developer at Seoul-based IT service provider . 鈥淚t was very challenging for me.鈥�

That is due in part to the breadth of training at 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab, which requires students to collaborate with people from business, design, and other teams, whom they probably would not otherwise have met.

Finding the Business Value of New Tech

鈥淪tudents are usually very good with new technologies — probably better than people who have been in the industry for a couple of years — because they adopt everything that is new,鈥� said Held, who has been working with university students for more than 12 years. 鈥淏ut you have to make it relevant for the industries; you have to make it relevant for businesses.鈥�

Indeed, learning to find the business value of cutting-edge technology can be a big challenge for the students, according to Held. 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab helps them over that often-steep learning curve.

鈥淲e try to help the students to at least keep [the business outcome] in the back of their minds,鈥� Held said. 鈥淭丑别y should always think in a more realistic way of, 鈥楬ow does it help a company?鈥欌��

The country鈥檚 young tech workers will clearly have plenty of new tech to choose from.

鈥淪outh Korea has been integrating [blockchain] technology in public services for years,鈥� stated in July. 鈥淥ther technologies that the government intends to invest in heavily include the Internet of Things, cloud computing, Big Data, machine learning, and robotics.鈥�

Putting It All Together

鈥淲e really wanted to make sure that the participants of the training learn about project management,鈥� Held said. 鈥淭丑别y think end-to-end, from the ideation to an economically viable solution that delivers value to customers.鈥�

麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab cultivates a mindset 鈥� in addition to teaching programming techniques, business processes, and more. It helps students understand the whole process of innovation, and to see it in the full context of their organization.

鈥淭hat was one of the key differentiators of that program,鈥� Held said. 鈥淎nd that helped people like Young Wan to find jobs afterwards.鈥�

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While there is no clear answer as to when the pandemic will subside, there are strategies to manage the mental distress brought on by it and overcome that productivity wall. Coaching is one of them, says Kristen Reynolds, the global ambassador leader of 麻豆原创鈥檚 coaching program.

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鈥淐oaching is about self-reflection and enabling people to find the resources they need within themselves so they can make the transformation they鈥檙e looking for in their lives,鈥� Reynolds says. 鈥淏ut as opposed to therapy or counseling, coaching doesn鈥檛 focus on the past. The emphasis is on the future, which can be extremely powerful considering the times we鈥檙e living in.鈥�

Another difference is that coaching doesn鈥檛 prescribe. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a totally advice-free zone. The goal is to ask thought-provoking questions that help the client to tap into their own inner resources and the answers within themselves,鈥� she says.

And although coaching is still a relatively young field, the is mounting that it may spur lifestyle and professional changes 鈥� and companies are paying attention to it. 麻豆原创 started a coaching program 15 years ago and now offers the service to its more than 100,000 employees worldwide as part of a broader strategy to prepare people for the future of work, increase employee engagement, and foster cross-organizational agility.

鈥淓ach coach has specific areas of expertise, which are called their 鈥榮uperpowers.鈥� They may focus on conflict resolution, career development, or work-life balance, for instance,鈥� Reynolds explains. 鈥淐oaches also help employees have more self-awareness, embrace diversity, and work better in virtual teams.鈥�

It seems to pay off. Internal audits conducted by 麻豆原创 show that employees with coaches are twice as likely to write up their business goals and 32 percent more likely to achieve them. And in a recent survey, 97 percent of those coached said they could directly apply what they learned in coaching sessions to their world today.

鈥淚t’s really key to have both operational as well as experiential data to support a solid coaching program. Balance out productivity indexes with more intangible results, like how a client feels after a coaching session and if they have more positive emotions, thinking, and attitude,鈥� says Reynolds. 鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 purpose is to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives, and this is one way we鈥檙e achieving that vision. Improving the lives of our employees, which, in turn, pours over into our customers, partners, and ultimately the world.鈥�

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鈥淒uring the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprise after enterprise has proven that the safety of their employees, service to customers, and commitments to stakeholders are top priorities,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our job to passionately champion our customers by providing the best tools, services, and inspiration to help them meet their obligations and thrive in the process.鈥�

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMsSsXFqZNw

Mrugal shared some incredible customer stories of the many positive outcomes achieved by customers that have a strong partnership with 麻豆原创.

Faurecia, a global automotive supplier, focused first on the protection of its employees and then to reassure stakeholders the company could face any challenges presented by the crisis. It also took the across its supply chain and to speed up CO2 neutrality through the procurement of decarbonized energy and steel. Despite the lockdown, Faurecia gathered more than 1,000 suppliers online to help jointly ensure the continuity of the supply chain and make sure they are .

Swiss retail giant Coop used a new forecasting tool to help ensure supermarket shelves were fully stocked so customers could get supplies. It also temporarily transferred employees from its non-food business areas, which were closed during the crisis, to work in understaffed warehouses and distribution centers.

Lamb Weston, a North American purveyor of potato products, at all locations and only allowed business-critical visits to its manufacturing plants to prevent the spread of the virus. It also optimized inventories, enabling the company to shift supplies to grocery stores that needed more potato products.

鈥淭丑别se are just a few examples of how 麻豆原创 customers are laser-focused on their people and their businesses,鈥� says Mrugal. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing that everybody around the globe is going through some variation of the exact same challenges. Now more than ever, we are increasing our level of engagement and thinking creatively to increase our collaboration and connectivity with customers through virtual and digital engagements.鈥�

When asked about his role, Mrugal explains that Customer First is at once a mindset, an engagement model, and an organization built around better customer engagements 鈥� all rolled into one.

鈥淭丑别 true measure of 麻豆原创鈥檚 success is the success of our customers. This concept is embedded in our DNA,鈥� he says, as he tells the story about an 麻豆原创 sales rep who helped a customer locate 500 hospital beds within 30 minutes for a makeshift hospital in New York at the height of the pandemic. 鈥淭丑别 sales rep got a call from a supplier, Ram Tool Construction Supply, that was helping a contractor build the hospital. The to quickly fill the need.鈥�

Mrugal notes that since 麻豆原创 gave customers free access to in mid-March 2020, buyer postings on it have increased by 58 percent and supplier responses have increased by 404 percent compared to the period January 1 to March 9, 2020.

Providing free software is one way that 麻豆原创 demonstrates its customer-first mindset. 麻豆原创 also offers customers free access to several .

鈥淐ustomers are taking advantage of our free offerings,鈥� says Mrugal. 鈥淨ualtrics enables them to survey and keep a pulse on their employees to really make sure that they are safe. That’s paramount in today’s environment.鈥�

Mrugal has a mantra of three critical steps organizations must take to successfully survive the crisis. The health and safety of employees, customers, and communities is at the top of the list.

Next, clear and consistent communication is vital. Mrugal says it is critical to keep the lines open with customers and to stay connected: 鈥淲e must understand in real time where our teams or customers have concerns, and we need to address them immediately.鈥�

Finally, Mrugal believes that maintaining continuity ensures that 麻豆原创鈥檚 level of engagement is not lowered; rather, it affirms that 麻豆原创 is changing how well 鈥� not just how much 鈥� it engages with customers.

鈥淚n many cases, we are even more engaged with our customers than ever before as we navigate this unusual time together,鈥� says the long-time 麻豆原创 executive, who believes the role of his organization will continue to evolve as the needs of 麻豆原创 and its customers continue to transform.

One thing, however, will never change: a steadfast focus on the customer will always come first.

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鈥淢y parents have very little education,鈥� Edmonds says. 鈥淥ne of my sisters became a doctor, but I鈥檓 the only one in tech. I feel that, as the youngest, I had more opportunities than my sisters. But even so, I hit a wall in high school when I told my college counselor that I wanted to pursue a career in engineering and he advised me to consider a different career path.鈥�

But Edmonds would not be deterred 鈥� not only did she get a degree in engineering, but also went on to pursue a PhD in aeronautics. 鈥淭丑别 space industry seemed fascinating. I did toy with the idea of becoming an astronaut but chose against it as I get motion sickness.鈥�

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Encouraging Historically Underrepresented Groups

鈥淲hen I look back, I realize I didn鈥檛 have a lot of female role models in my personal life,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 looked toward outstanding people, such as Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space.鈥�

There were, however, supportive male professors. 鈥淢y PhD supervisor was very empathetic and instrumental not only to my career, but also on a personal level. He recognized my struggle as the only female in the class to finish with a PhD. 鈥業 won鈥檛 even pretend to understand what it鈥檚 like standing in your shoes,鈥� he told me.鈥�

In part, it was exactly this low percentage of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that led Edmonds to acquire a PhD. 鈥淚 wanted to teach and encourage historically underrepresented groups,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat is still very important to me.鈥� While she enjoys teaching, Edmonds found the research part of her academic career to be lonely.

鈥淚鈥檓 a very outgoing person. There are many ways to serve as a role model. So, I decided to pursue a career in industry.鈥� The percentage of women in the tech industry turned out to be just as low as it had been in academia, though. Edmonds was attracted to 麻豆原创 because of its number of women in leadership roles.

A Career of Firsts

After graduating from the California Institute of Technology with her PhD, Edmonds joined Northrop Grumman, then known as TRW, where she worked in programs for the automotive industry and the U.S. Air Force. She also filed her first patent, for a noise reduction system in the automotive environment.

鈥淓ventually, I felt I鈥檇 exhausted all my options,鈥� Edmonds says. 鈥淎nd then a job became available at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the field of technology transfer.鈥� This newly created role turned out to be perfectly aligned with Edmonds鈥� personal and technical skills.

鈥淭echnology transfer is all about relationship building,鈥� she says. “It covers the whole process of taking a scientific discovery from the lab to the marketplace.鈥�

Under the Obama administration, Edmonds joined the U.S. Department of Energy as the first person in the role of technology transfer coordinator.

鈥淚 find that in my career path I had this very common denominator: being the first to many of my roles. Later, with Google, I was the first person to start a university relations function in Cloud. Every time I鈥檝e come in and created the role from the biggest pain points and built relationships from there. This is the heart of a lot the work that I鈥檝e done.鈥�

Growing the 麻豆原创 Brand in the Academic Sphere

Edmonds says, 鈥淔or much of my career I鈥檝e supported faculty and researchers, and I feel I have a keen awareness of their needs and interests. But I also understand what is needed by the business side.鈥�

A month into her new role as head of Academies and 麻豆原创 University Alliances, Edmonds describes what she sees as the greatest opportunity: 鈥淚n Germany and many other parts of the world, 麻豆原创 is very well known among students and faculty, but I feel I鈥檓 uniquely qualified to strengthen 麻豆原创鈥檚 brand in North America in the academic fields of engineering and computer science.鈥�

Promoting the brand is important in multiple ways, she explains: 鈥淭丑别 challenge for 麻豆原创 is that we鈥檙e not a consumer-facing company, so unfortunately a lot of students are not aware of the brand even though they鈥檝e likely used our products.鈥�

Edmonds鈥� organization works closely with the Human Resources group at 麻豆原创 and 麻豆原创 Labs to create initiatives for the early talent pipeline. 鈥淗iring top students is important, but regardless of where they later actually go to work, we want them to know about 麻豆原创 products and services. They can serve as customers in the future.鈥� On the Academies side, there are numerous opportunities to partner with the Customer Success organization around market needs.

Encouraging historically underrepresented groups in tech is still very close to Edmonds鈥� heart. She points out that compared to other technology companies 麻豆原创 hires from a broad range of disciplines, such as communications, sales, and marketing. 鈥淚 see that as an opportunity to make women feel more welcome and included. Even if they鈥檙e not in STEM, there鈥檚 a lot of opportunity in our company.鈥�

A Mission that Speaks: Joining 麻豆原创听

鈥淚 chose to join 麻豆原创 because of what the company stands for: helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives. Also, the level of support and interest from the Board convinced me that this is a company I want to join,鈥� Edmonds says.

鈥淲hat drives me is the idea that technology can give people all over the world the possibility to be part of the conversation. I want to expose young people to technology and to careers in technology. I feel this resonates very strongly with 麻豆原创鈥檚 approach to corporate responsibility. Helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives is a mission that really spoke to me, and it speaks to early talents and other potential employees as well.鈥�

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To deliver in-patient care effectively to people who have COVID-19, the region鈥檚 health department, clinics, and hospitals joined forces to set up a COVID-19 coordination hub under the leadership of Heidelberg University Hospital.

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Coordinating Bed Management

A bed management solution from 麻豆原创 helps coordinate across hospitals in Heidelberg and the surrounding Rhine-Neckar region. The solution can also be used to organize the transfer of patients to and from medical facilities, helping to place patients at hospitals that have capacity and providing medical staff at the coordination hub an overview of all intensive care resources in the region.

Using this data, they can see capacity levels at a glance and decide which hospital can best care for the patient in question. This information is also shown on an interactive geomap, enabling medical staff to see where each hospital is, pinpoint a facility where beds are available, and coordinate directly with the team there. This helps relieve the burden on healthcare systems.

Each hospital uses the system to report its capacity. The software then updates the occupancy plan for all hospital beds in the region. The solution is already being used to manage bed occupancy in 45 wards across 25 clinics.

Software Helps Find Available Hospital Beds

Medical staff at the coordination hub were part of the project right from the start. The software was built in only one week in response to the COVID-19 crisis and was tested by end-users, whose feedback enabled the developers to design the solution to the meet the requirements of everyone involved.

Users can access the bed management solution via a Web browser wherever they are and on any device. It presents data in different ways to meet different needs, and users can define the priorities for their particular roles.

How Technology Helps Optimize Medical Care

The bed management solution runs on cloud technology from 麻豆原创. With 麻豆原创 Cloud Platform, 麻豆原创 Fiori, and 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, the solution is easily scalable and can be enhanced. This means the software can do more than simply report intensive care capacity. For instance, using its built-in analytics capabilities it can show how bed occupancy and the number of hospital beds have changed over time. The analytics function can also analyze past metrics and depict time lines, enabling hospitals to respond to trends.

Its highly secure, role-based access controls mean that stringent data protection and security standards apply to all information.

Meeting Challenges as One Team

Besides technical challenges, the team had to overcome commercial and legal hurdles as well. Developing the solution successfully was the result of close collaboration and alignment inside 麻豆原创.

鈥淭丑别 network of organizations around Heidelberg University Hospital wanted a reliable partner it could have every confidence in,” says Michael Byczkowski, vice president and global leader of Healthcare Providers at 麻豆原创. “As a team, we have shown that we can rapidly meet entirely new requirements and, even in times of crisis, play an essential part in helping society.鈥�

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The company鈥檚 New Ventures and Technologies group, led by Max Wessel, is an exploratory unit set up to produce cutting-edge, future-focused technology quickly. In addition to heading up the group, Wessel is chief innovation officer for 麻豆原创 and managing director of 麻豆原创 Bay Area. Here, Wessel talks about his approach to fostering innovation.

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Q: What constitutes innovation at 麻豆原创?

A: Innovation is a big word, and we do a lot of it at 麻豆原创. It鈥檚 in every incremental change we bring to a product, in every iteration of our business model and approach to engaging customers. And we should be proud of all of it. When customers ask us about innovation, it鈥檚 often about where we embrace truly new technologies and business models. 麻豆原创 has been making great progress in the past few years by targeting game changers alongside our core business. For example, the Voice AI team from Newport Beach is using natural language processing to analyze 麻豆原创 Concur call center data to determine how effective an engagement has been. Instead of spending hundreds of hours manually checking call logs, artificial intelligence (AI) takes over. That’s a great example of taking a net-new technology to solve an age-old problem.How does 麻豆原创 create organic innovation?

Across the company we introduce new features, new products, and new services on what seems like a daily basis. That innovation has allowed us to create strong footholds in our customer environments. However, to deliver transformative growth, we also need a big vision. We have to look 10 years into the future, identify the big problems that are worth solving, and then attack them in ways that deliver value to our customers.

Coupled with that vision, 麻豆原创 has to empower its innovators to explore new technologies, work with customers on proofs of concept (POCs), and share great ideas with colleagues across the globe. It鈥檚 that exchange that lets us identify the big ideas together. Last year, more than 20,000 employees engaged with our intrapreneurship program, and at we officially launched the 麻豆原创 Technology Radar tool, a central, internal platform for knowledge exchange on new technologies. We want every employee to contribute to the process of pushing 麻豆原创 forward. And our New Ventures and Technologies team supports that conversation.

What major trends are you are seeing?

There is still enormous potential for machine learning inside the enterprise. That鈥檚 why we are continuing to push AI capabilities in voice recognition and looking at synthetic data generation and new encryption methodologies. We believe they will play a role in bringing advanced AI capabilities to the enterprise.

But it鈥檚 not just about technologies. It鈥檚 also about simplifying software deployment and customization through and . These advances will empower almost anyone to build a business app, without having to be an engineer.

The last trend is applying new business models to deliver software in fundamentally different ways. For example, we are now able to , using their invoices as a point of reference for credit. This has allowed us to open up credit to businesses that desperately need it during the current economic crisis at no cost to the businesses or to our 麻豆原创 Ariba customers 鈥� all because we’ve been experimenting with this new business model for the past two years.

How do you find those sweet spots in the 麻豆原创 portfolio?

麻豆原创 shines when we understand the customer problem, have deep domain expertise in a given line of business, and infuse new technologies to solve the problem. The SMB lending product that I just mentioned, , came from the Ariba Network team based on conversations they had with their customers. They had a deep understanding of the customer problem, but they needed a technology partner and found that in our organization.

Part of our role is to start a conversation with all of 麻豆原创 about the future. Every year we run a variety of innovation campaigns at 麻豆原创. Because of these efforts, a lot of the projects we start come directly from the experts across our company. I encourage my team to embrace a beginner’s mind by stepping back to listen to all of the ideas from the product experts and understand where new opportunities might lie.

How do we prevent the cannibalizing of our classical solutions?听

I鈥檇 rather we cannibalize our classical solutions than have a competitor do it. Here is where we need to be creative and have conviction. If we are convinced that the world will change in 10 years, then we should embrace a cannibalization of existing streams. The shift to the cloud over the past decade is something 麻豆原创 should be immensely proud of. But the cloud is more than a new delivery mechanism, and it has required us to re-architect many of our products. And we did that boldly with a belief that the cloud would be the preferred delivery mechanism for many of our customers in many situations.

How can we incentivize employees to be more innovative?听

I object to the premise that employees aren’t innovative enough. I get more ideas that are more creative with more depth of understanding of an industry problem from our colleagues than you can imagine. Instead of incentivizing people to be more innovative, we need to empower them. One of the initiatives that I am proudest of at 麻豆原创 is our intrapreneurship program. When I took over the organization, fewer than 3,000 people were engaging in our scouting and acceleration group on an annual basis. We now have more than 20,000, and the goal this year is to engage 25,000.

The reason we run the intrapreneurship program isn’t because we think that it’ll generate better ideas鈥攖he ideas are already out there. It’s to give people a means to build on those ideas, to test them out, and then to take them to market. And the more we do to create easier paths to innovation, the easier it will become for people to innovate.

What do we need to do to enable better throughput of innovation?

I believe we need three ingredients: patient capital, creative structure, and executive mandate. Attacking big problems takes time, and this is why we need to plan in terms of 10-year time horizons. We need to put small teams on those problems that only 麻豆原创 can solve and give them the patience and structure that allows them to deliver value to the market. If they’re tackling big enough problems, if they’re given that mandate, if they’re allowed to take a non-linear path, they will do amazing things.

As managing director of 麻豆原创 Bay Area, what advantages are there to being part of the 20 worldwide locations that make up 麻豆原创 Lab Network?听听

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to get all of the labs directors on the phone to gain an understanding of 听regulatory best practices and digital communications in different cultural environments. This is a perfect example of the way we’re able to harness the best of a global development force to drive improvement. But we also combine ideas and forces when it comes to things like activating the employee base to drive innovation, creating hackathons, empowering employees to come up with new business ideas, or scaling our reach into the ecosystem so we identify local partners who can take our products and services to market.

What is your personal recipe for future-proofing 麻豆原创?

Everything we do from an innovation perspective has to tie into making enterprise software more personal, more flexible, and more open. It’s becoming easier than ever to connect systems together, which means the more open your systems and ecosystem are, the wider variety of innovations you can deliver. We have 100,000 employees at 麻豆原创, but there are 7.5 billion people on the planet with an incentive to help us help the world run better. We would be remiss if we didn鈥檛 open ourselves up to outside ideas around how to evolve enterprise software.

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Like many, I have aging family members and friends I am worrying about. And yes, at times I wake up at night with thoughts of fear.

It is a completely normal reaction to feel insecure, worried, and frightened in this uncertain, dynamically changing situation. It is also normal to at times feel restless and angry, facing uncertainty about how long this crisis will last and what financial, social, and political consequences it will entail for society.

These perceived threats to our safety and viability trigger our amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the center of our brain that stimulates emotional responses, including fear, anxiety, and aggression. The amygdala has been instrumental in our survival for the past 3 million years. But in times like these, it adds one more layer to the stress caused by current circumstances.

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We have a choice in how we deal with difficult emotions, allowing us to calm down and become more resilient. For working from home, 麻豆原创 Global Mindfulness Practice has developed an 鈥淎BC鈥� technique to practice.

• A for Awareness and Acceptance: Become aware of any difficult emotion that is present in this very moment. Accept that it鈥檚 there and investigate how it expresses in your body. We can also name it 鈥� 鈥淭his is anxiety鈥� 鈥� which activates our prefrontal cortex that regulates the overreacting amygdala.
• B for Balance or Beginners Mind: Try not to judge whatever you are feeling. Try instead to investigate it with an attitude of openness and curiosity as if you encountered it for the first time.
• C for Compassion and Connection: Recognize that there is nothing wrong about your emotion and that actually a lot of people feel like you.

Finally, ask yourself, 鈥淲hat is needed in this situation right now?鈥�

Fear isolates and disunites us. In some ways, this is also a side effect of the current measures against the spread of COVID-19: social distancing, quarantine, staying home.

The antidote to fear is the feeling of being supported and not alone, understanding that we are all facing the same challenge. I could be you and you could be me. Maybe this pandemic is a chance to realize how interconnected we all are, how the health and wellness of human beings everywhere impacts all of us. By exercising our minds and supporting our environment, we have a chance to influence the post-COVID-19 world.

Fear diminishes when we feel connected. By asking 鈥淗ow do I want to live in this moment? What is important to me right now? How can I be of service?鈥� we can decide to reach out to others and to socialize 鈥� using video-conferencing tools to conduct online wine tastings, dinners, or even virtual parties, or by chatting with our neighbors from balcony to balcony. We can also engage in activities that help others; for example, doing errands for the elderly in the neighborhood.

Practicing compassion and mindfulness helps us connect to our inner reservoir of calm and clarity and find the courage to care of each other in these challenging times.

According to Luis Cozolino, professor of Psychology from Pepperdine University in California, 鈥淲e are not the survival of the fittest, we are the survival of the nurtured.鈥�

Bring a virtual mindfulness practice into your daily working routine in the home office:

• Before going crazy in front of your laptop because a colleague鈥檚 behavior makes you angry, try the .
• When you feel so stressed that you do not even taste the food you are eating, try .
• To feel fully awake and connected before starting a virtual presentation, you can do the .

There is one powerful resource that nurtures all of us: We can consciously observe and celebrate the good moments these days from a healthy distance 鈥� the warm rays of the spring sun caressing our faces, the cool refreshing air while we are walking outside, a bird singing from the top of a blossoming tree, the heartwarming smile another person gives us.

Whenever you live a good moment, take time for a very simple practice:

• In the first breath, focus on your breath, feel it in your body.
• In the second breath, ask yourself, 鈥淲hat I am grateful for right now?鈥�
• In the third breath, take in the good and enjoy the pleasant feeling it evokes in your body.

Let鈥檚 practice together, because we are all in this together.

Listen to the full interview with Peter Bostelmann, chief mindfulness officer at 麻豆原创:

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As the virus spreads, so does fake news. From to wild speculation about government plans and even possibly harmful unproven “cures,” disinformation is flooding the Internet and posing a serious threat to public health.

As a result, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world is facing a catastrophic epidemic of misinformation about COVID-19, calling it an . In a message posted on his Twitter account, Guterres said that 鈥渢o overcome the coronavirus, we need to urgently promote facts & science, hope & solidarity over despair & division.鈥�

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In response to the evolving issue, the UN is advancing communications efforts to make sure people have the latest and most credible information about the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a series of and is working with search and media giants like Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and others to help counter the spread of rumors, which include misinformation like 5G mobile networks spread the virus; that it cannot survive in the hot weather; that drinking methanol, ethanol, or bleach prevent or cure it; and that consuming spicy food, garlic, and special herbs can prevent infection.

At this crucial moment, tech companies are feeling the pinch. They face an unprecedented challenge: How do they strike the , and only provide information that will help the global community get through the pandemic in the best way?

New App Cuts Through Fake News with Real-Time Facts on COVID-19

To help address the flood of misinformation, the Innovation office in 麻豆原创 Asia Pacific Japan (麻豆原创 APJ) stepped up during early stages of the pandemic. In only two weeks, the team developed a chatbot-based application using Experience Management (XM) technology, with the goal of providing users with accurate real-time information on COVID-19, along with personalized guidance on how to cope with the virus.

Called “,” the app collates news from reliable sources including public health authorities like the WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as relevant government agencies at a global and local level.

One 麻豆原创 customer, a global pharmaceuticals firm, has already rolled out the app for its staff. With access to bespoke data on the number of COVID-19 cases, searchable by hospital location, employees at the firm are now able to predict likely demand for medical supplies and respond accordingly.

鈥淚n times of crisis, effectiveness of communication and reliability of information become paramount,鈥� Scott Russell, president of 麻豆原创 APJ, affirmed.

麻豆原创 plans to soon begin rolling out the app globally to customers that have 麻豆原创 Cloud Platform Enterprise Agreement. It will run on and be accessed as either a webpage or as an Apple iOS application, free of charge.

Russell believes Bridge-IT is the perfect example of how combining experience data (X-data) with operational data (O-data) is a simple and powerful way to deliver better experiences: 鈥淲e’re bringing sentiment data and accurate operational data together, and there’s no better way to show the strategy of 麻豆原创.鈥�

The app offers the following features:

• Data platform: Powered by 麻豆原创 Cloud Platform, the data platform collates information from trustworthy global and local sources, as well as specific country, governmen,t and company data to provide as accurate information as possible, in real time.
• Chatbot: Powered by the 麻豆原创 Conversational AI service, the chatbot provides a user-friendly tool to answer questions and provide access to company-specific FAQs or healthcare guidance.
• Automated guidance tools: Powered by XM solutions from 麻豆原创, personalized surveys ask respondents a range of questions about their situation and appropriate resources are provided based on their needs. The survey includes questions about COVID-19 symptoms so that tailored healthcare guidance and resources can be provided based on users鈥� answers.
• Dashboard: Visualizations of real-time data are provided, such as the impact of COVID-19 on supply and customer-based data, including public sentiment, on 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud.

Listen to the full interview with听Scott Russell, available on听听补苍诲听.

J.C. Penney is the most recent casualty among retail giants, joining Neiman Marcus, Macy鈥檚, and others in filing for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, April retail sales in the U.S. compared with 2019.

Stores in some parts of the U.S. are reopening, but not fully. The number of customers allowed inside stores may be limited, and many people will continue to stay away from non-essential businesses.

To survive the financial fallout, retailers need new ways to stay close to customers virtually.

Here, two startup founders and an 麻豆原创 expert describe how technology can help retailers survive and recover — all while keeping their brands and customer followings intact.

Augmented Reality Brings the Store to Your Home

Co-Founder and CEO Ashley Crowder thinks that 3D and augmented reality (AR) solutions like the ones developed by her company can increase conversion rates for online shopping.

鈥淰ntana makes it easy to take existing manufacturing design files and immediately create 3D and AR experiences proven to more than double conversion rates and reduce returns by 40 percent,鈥� she said.

Vntana works with customers like Shah Jewelry to create virtual versions of products that let customers “try on” items at home. Even before the pandemic, Vntana saw increased conversion from browsers to buyers among companies that provide 3D experiences for customers. For example, Crowder says Ikea experienced a 30 percent increase in revenue when consumers could virtually place products within their home.

Crowder believes AR and virtual reality (VR) technology is here to stay: 鈥�, an AR and VR research publication, did a that said 45 percent of consumers want to try AR/VR shopping. Thirty percent said if that can provide good enough information to make a decision to buy, they would never want to go into a retail store again. So people want this content and they want this option.鈥�

She expects adoption to accelerate because of the coronavirus crisis and points out that the companies that move quickly now will be better positioned for survival and future growth.

Hyperlocal E-Commerce Boosts Bricks and Mortar Retail

Sandeep Bhanote co-founded , a startup that improves shoppers鈥� e-commerce interactions by providing hyperlocal, personalized experiences. Like Crowder, Bhanote is a participant in the accelerator program in New York, which currently supports a cohort of customer experience-focused companies.

Radius8 solves this challenge. E-commerce looks the same no matter where consumers are located, which can result in subpar experiences for online shoppers, particularly if the retailer has many stores across the country.

鈥淥ur technology takes the consumer location and determines their proximity to any one of those stores within that retail chain and dynamically changes the e-commerce experience to reflect where they are,鈥� Bhanote explained.

Bhanote believes that uniting the digital and physical store experience will propel retail to the next level.

Using geospatial data, Radius8 gives consumers a better online experience while also boosting in-store sales by driving people to specific store locations. Bhanote explains that the focal point for integration between virtual and physical stores has been limited to understanding inventory.

鈥淏ut the reality is all these physical stores have all these wonderful things that are happening that almost never get communicated digitally — not even within the radius of that physical store,鈥� he said.

Bhanote said customers — including adidas, Lucky Brand, Snipes USA, Orvis, and Eddie Bauer — already use Radius8 to create great experiences across virtual and physical sites.

Intelligent Enterprise Delivers Unique Experiences and Agility

Matt Laukaitis, executive vice president and global general manager for Consumer Industries at 麻豆原创, believes that maintaining customer intimacy is paramount for retailers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the ability to continue reinforcing that connection with consumers,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a lot of innovation from brands large and small, where people are doing creative things with virtual personal stylists and individual video-shopping sessions to give customers a unique experience.鈥�

Whether it鈥檚 an online or traditional brick-and-mortar experience, the winners of the future will maintain brand consistency while increasing customer relevance and loyalty. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what鈥檚 going to enable them to successfully execute as they reopen stores,鈥� Laukaitis said.

Retailers鈥� agility to respond to the pandemic will make or break them. 鈥淭丑别 companies that will be able to best navigate the crisis are the ones that can be creative and agile operating in the current environment,鈥� he said.

Companies that have already embraced digital transformation and invested in an intelligent enterprise infrastructure will have a leg up on competitors. They have the speed, simplicity, and flexibility required to adapt business models while delivering on consumers expectations.

One thing is for sure: E-commerce is growing quickly. The recent U.S. revenue growth rate for e-commerce was .听 And the crisis has sped up people鈥檚 need for better digital experiences.

Newer technologies like AR and geospatial, combined with a strong digital core and traditional customer experience technologies, will allow retailers to pivot fast and keep customers.

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While he has found new ways to engage with employees, Saueressig鈥檚 empathetic style of leadership has not changed. Now more than ever, listening to one鈥檚 team while adapting to a new way of working is crucial to keeping people motivated.

Empathy Matters More Than Ever

He recognizes the wide variety of challenges his employees face: juggling the demands of home school, tending to sick or elderly loved ones, and the unique trials faced by single people.

鈥淲e are in a unique situation that you can鈥檛 find in any playbook or Google search,鈥� Saueressig said. 鈥淏ut we needed to change engagement in the remote and virtual setting that we鈥檙e in.鈥�

To stay close to colleagues, Saueressig holds virtual meetup sessions from home — more intimate conversations with employees to hear what鈥檚 on their mind and to keep the teams informed.

And as the father of two young children, he is certainly sympathetic to people鈥檚 efforts to stay productive, while balancing family demands: 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 important to stay focused and get into a morning routine. Every day I get dressed like I鈥檓 going to the office, which gets me into the work mood.鈥�

Innovating in a Pandemic and Beyond

While people come first, Saueressig has other things on his mind as well. Since he oversees all of 麻豆原创 business applications, educational programs, global cloud infrastructure, globalization services, and global labs network, he weighs how the pandemic will impact innovation and customers鈥� digital journeys.

鈥淚鈥檝e talked to a lot of customer CIOs and digital transformation is on top of mind,鈥� he said.听 鈥淚n the last couple of years, some companies treated it like a buzzword from the IT industry, but now it’s actually center stage and people understand why it is so important.鈥�

He explains that digital transformation, which is enabled by the application portfolio his team develops, offers customers deeper supply chain insight, more agile manufacturing operations, and increasingly flexible business models, for example.

Saueressig has put innovation to work creating solutions that will help businesses and other organizations through these unusual times. For example, provides computing power and data center capacity to , a distributed computing project that unites citizen scientists researching protein development in a variety of diseases, including COVID-19.

Additionally, released a free version of procurement solution , which helps organizations find new suppliers quickly. Saueressig states that, according to a , 71 percent of companies are currently experiencing supply chain disruption, which in some instances can be life-threatening. 鈥淥ne hospital was looking for 500 beds and they didn鈥檛 find them. Within 30 minutes of using [麻豆原创] Ariba, they found the supply they needed,鈥� he shared.

As the world moves from crisis to recovery and beyond, innovation will continue its important role. 鈥淚n the beginning of this pandemic, everybody was focused on business continuity,鈥� said Saueressig. 鈥淏ut now we see people preparing for the time after the pandemic and thinking about what the world will look like in the new norm. That鈥檚 something people are already thinking about — innovation and what they need to stay on top and remain competitive.鈥�

He is convinced the 麻豆原创 portfolio can help in two ways. It provides customers solutions that evolve as the situation demands, and gives them the agility required to anticipate and react to changing market requirements quickly.

With 麻豆原创 — and other — applications connected and working together on top of , companies can become intelligent enterprises. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the cornerstone to give customers insight into the supply chain, optimized and automated business processes, and the ability to create new business models on the fly,鈥� said Saueressig.

But the real opportunity lies in creating a network of intelligent enterprises, which will be the next step in connecting businesses. 鈥淲e talk about the network of intelligent enterprises especially because this pandemic shows how global and interconnected all companies are,鈥� said Saueressig. 鈥淲e want to connect these companies and give them the deep insights.鈥�

Moving forward, Saueressig has inspired his product teams to tackle climate change, one of the world鈥檚 biggest challenges and one that鈥檚 close to his heart. The goal is to enrich 麻豆原创 products with capabilities that will help companies reduce their carbon footprint. 鈥淲e want to embed and infuse this into our products so companies can change their processes — and the entire value chain — accordingly,鈥� he said.

The company 听revealed its intentions to in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Now Saueressig and his teams are executing on this plan 鈥� and will continue supporting businesses as they navigate turbulent times.

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With nearly 9,000 employees across five cities, 麻豆原创 Labs India is the second largest location in the 麻豆原创 Labs Network and is central to the company鈥檚 product development strategy. Despite a dynamic environment, the forced virtual teamwork as a result of the COVID-19 has not hampered productivity.

The India-based teams, together with other teams globally, just released to customers the second version of the essentials edition of . 鈥淲e stuck to the timeline as well as to the scope that was promised to our customers,鈥� Gangadharan reports proudly.

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Gangadharan believes that the pandemic will expedite the move to digitalization in India, and notes that 麻豆原创鈥檚 strategy is resonating strongly with customers. The same trend toward digitalization and cloud computing has been confirmed in other markets, including China and Europe.

If there is anyone that understands the benefits of digitalization, it鈥檚 Gangadharan.

She formerly served as head of the Intelligent Enterprise Program, where she worked side-by-side with 麻豆原创 colleagues from key functional areas and across multiple Board areas. Those close connections are extremely valuable to her today in the current virtual work mode.

鈥淚’m pretty confident that 麻豆原创 will come out stronger post-COVID-19, and we will also help many of our customers come out stronger as well,鈥� Gangadharan emphasizes.

But the business is only one side of the coin; supporting the most vulnerable parts of society is her other priority. 麻豆原创 has always led a very strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) program in India, and those relationships are now enabling it to make a contribution.

By opening the large kitchens on campuses in Bangalore and Gurgaon, 麻豆原创 Labs India is helping distribute more than 17,000 meals a day to the poor and is also donating personal protection equipment and ventilators to local hospitals.

鈥淚t’s so gratifying to see a lot of people are being touched by this, and it is only possible by people coming together and collaborating to make it possible,鈥� says Gangadharan.

To learn more about how 麻豆原创 is helping India surmount business and humanitarian challenges, watch the full interview with Sindu Gangadharan:

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Before the introduction of shelter-in-place and social distancing policies, many government agencies were not equipped to support employees in working at home. For others, working at home was simply not an option.

According to Brian Roach, head of Regulated Industries at 麻豆原创, this highlights the 鈥渉aves and have-nots鈥� in government agencies. The 鈥渉aves鈥� had already invested in digital technologies and mobile capabilities. The 鈥渉ave-nots鈥� were often paper-driven and spent the day working on desktop computers.

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Factors like budget, work culture, and agency objectives influence the divergent maturity levels for digital government initiatives. For example, wealthier cities like San Diego have surged ahead in technology adoption, whereas agencies that depend on in-person signatures or notarized documents may still be analog.

Regardless, the pandemic has underscored the need for government agencies to raise their digital game. As digital government becomes a bigger priority, Roach identifies three trends he believes will accelerate as governments and their agencies tackle issues linked to the pandemic — and prepare for health crises in the future.

Data-Driven Government

Roach believes that the pandemic will speed up governments鈥� investment and use of data analytic technologies. 鈥淭丑别 government needs the ability to mine data, learn from it, and turn it into actionable items 鈥� that will improve government in general,鈥� he said.

Organizations can use data to monitor public health, simulate financial models, and to conduct what-if analysis for pandemics. These insights inform smarter policy, programmatic decisions, and the ability to manage risk.

When crises hit, public agencies that act based on accurate information are best positioned to weather emergencies.

鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing hospital systems that were prepared with predictive technology doing extraordinarily well, they’re not getting overrun,鈥� said Roach.听 鈥淭hose that act as a result of what they’ve learned, and those that don’t 鈥� that will be the difference maker.鈥�

Focus on Constituent Experience

Before the crisis, public agencies were leveraging technology to improve citizens鈥� experience and Roach expects this trend to accelerate.

鈥淲e’re going to see the value of citizen experiences, and agencies need to interact with citizens in a different way,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople haven’t been able to walk into a social security office to receive a check and you have to transform how you’re interacting with the citizenry.鈥�

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) highlights how U.S. government agencies had already started using technology for better constituent experience, before the virus outbreak. In 2019, the agency announced its multi-year focused on updating how the agency 鈥溾�� (source: IRS).

鈥淭丑别 IRS is interacting with citizens in a different way 鈥� digital interactions and digital transactions have been improving over the years,鈥� Roach explained. 鈥淚t’s getting to where it’s far more integrated, far more capable, far more organic to the functions of those departments, as opposed to just thin layers of filling in a static website with information.鈥�

Uneven Path to Digital Government

According to Roach, when we speak of the government, we are actually talking about a 鈥渓arge and complex set of services and institutions, where technology innovation and inclination really varies: 鈥淭丑别re’s always an element of government that is leading edge, and others, whether it be for budget or regulatory reasons, that tend to lag.鈥�

But one thing is certain: The lockdown is pushing all institutions to put a better digital strategy and a technological infrastructure in place.

鈥淭丑别re’s no question that things will change going forward, and for the better. We will come out of this much stronger and smarter. It’s easy to be armchair quarterbacks today, but I think the difference will be in the future,鈥� said Roach. 鈥淭丑别re’s not a silver bullet, there’s not a button that you press and suddenly, you’re digitized, data-driven, and citizen centric. But it’s a journey and we will all get on it together.鈥�

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According to Franz Hero, head of 麻豆原创 Digital Supply Chain Development, 鈥淥ne good thing about a crisis is it focuses the senses on things that are really important. I think everybody understands now 鈥� you, me, and every consumer 鈥� what it means if a supply chain is broken.鈥�

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As COVID-19 began making its way beyond China, consumers started buying supplies of toilet paper, soap, flour, and pasta as it became clear that people would be forced to stay at home inquarantine. Stores quickly ran out of supplies and some imposed limits on the quantities

How have 麻豆原创 Digital Supply Chain customers adapted?

鈥淚 talked to a customer, they produce pasta,鈥� Hero says. 鈥淩eacting to demands, they said ,鈥極kay, we don’t care anymore whether it is spaghetti or a different type of pasta. One production line, one kind of pasta, 24/7.鈥� Another company that manufactures chemicals wanted to increase production but ran out of shipping containers 鈥� all the empty containers were in China. All of these companies have something in common 鈥� they have to react very quickly either to changing demand situation or changing supply situation.鈥�

The challenge, highlighted in a recently published , is how to make supply chains more resilient.

This means building redundancies into a supply chain and being able to source from multiple suppliers and adopting localization strategies, putting tools and manufacturing where the consumers are. 麻豆原创 Ariba software can help companies with these issues, but this will only work well if companies build an organization and business processes designed for changes.

Hero says planning, forecasting, and supply network tools can all help, but that companies also need to bring synchronized planning into the execution areas like manufacturing and logistics.

鈥溌槎乖� Integrated Business Planning, one of our earliest in-house developed cloud solutions, allows companies to forecast the demand based on different input parameters from sales, from history, from point-of-sale data, and so forth,鈥� he says. It can simulate different scenarios helping a company鈥檚 manufacturing and logistics operations respond quickly and in a coordinated fashion to changing circumstances.

Accelerating Automation with Industry 4.Now

Hero suggests that听 one outcome of the global pandemic is that companies will move more , including Industry 4.0 (IoT) plans, in order to improve resilience.

鈥淭丑别 automation of the plant and integration with everything 鈥� from manufacturing execution systems, the maintenance systems, quality management systems, and of course also the logistics, the in-house logistics, warehousing and transportation,鈥� has become a priority, according to Hero.

鈥淭丑别n there鈥檚 also the environment, employee health and safety 鈥� that鈥檚 currently the big discussion as countries look to return to work,鈥� he says.

These topics were already in discussion before the coronavirus, with McKinsey & Company reporting in that 68 percent of companies ranked Industry 4.0 as a top priority. In anticipation of this, 麻豆原创 launched the board-sponsored program last year. The program is designed to support customers with the vertical integration of the applications needed to automate a plant and integrate these applications and automation technology into supply chain processes.

鈥淲e can connect the sensors to the robots, everything you need really to automate these business processes,鈥� Franz Hero says. 鈥淐ompanies are looking at these projects and measuring them against the employee safety aspects that have arisen with this pandemic. These projects are becoming a priority and we鈥檙e here to make them happen.鈥�

Traditionally, the task of a supply chain manager was to provide acceptable service levels while minimizing costs. This has been shifting in recent years as supply chains have become a key differentiator among companies because customer demand is growing. 麻豆原创 has introduced three key offers for customers designed to enable improved data-driven decision-making, greater collaboration, and resilience to help ensure supply chains remain unbroken for 90 days.

• Supply chain visibility: 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning customers have access to specific functionalities of 麻豆原创 Supply Chain Control Tower, enabling them to gain quick visibility into supply chain issues, conduct impact analysis, and orchestrate responses.
• Freight collaboration: 麻豆原创 Transportation Management customers have access to the freight collaboration capabilities of 麻豆原创 Logistics Business Network to connect with alternate logistics service providers to reduce constraints and freight costs.
• Supply chain planning as a service: The partner ecosystem can use 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning to provide planning as a service to companies, thereby helping companies more quickly and frequently eliminate bottlenecks, match demand with supply, and better serve听customers.

It is critical to also acknowledge the truck drivers, warehouse workers, and logistical staff who keep delivering food, medical supplies, medicine, and other essentials during these challenging times.

With Europe on the brink of recession as businesses struggle to keep going and healthcare systems are stretched to the hilt, the necessity for effective transportation channels and efficient supply chains is greater than ever before.

鈥淒uring COVID-19, logistics plays a vital role in delivering the essentials to isolated communities,鈥� says Martynas Sarapinas, CIO at Girteka Logistics, one of Europe鈥檚 largest trucking companies. 鈥淲e have 14,000 dedicated truck drivers working relentlessly to keep supply chains going.鈥�

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Sarapinas is referring to the during the crisis.

People-Focused

鈥淭ruck drivers are in an exceptionally difficult situation,鈥� Sarapinas says. 鈥淟ike most people, they want to stay home safe with their families, but with closed borders across Europe, it鈥檚 impossible to say when they can make it home鈥�

The company has always taken pride in caring for its employees and providing opportunities to educate and develop people. Girteka鈥檚 Drivers Academy not only teaches employees to drive safely and sustainably, it aims to make each driver a company ambassador.

Long-Term Strategy

Europe鈥檚 trucking industry is old-fashioned and highly fragmented. Over 90 percent of companies operate less than 10 trucks, while only one percent operate more than 50 trucks. In order to achieve its ambitious vision to become the first European company with 10,000 of its own trucks, Girteka Logistics has chosen to remain asset-heavy in a trucking world that functions mostly through third-party service providers.

The company鈥檚 7,400 trucks and 7,800 trailers transport 730,000 full truckloads per year. By maintaining control of their assets, the company can greatly reduce complexity for customers. Instead of frantically tracing shipments through a myriad of different service providers and subcontractors, Girteka Logistics maintains full control over an order.

The other key element in the company鈥檚 long-term strategy for success is the implementation of a fully integrated, end-to-end transportation solution with .

鈥淥ur customers expect us to deliver consistent quality at an acceptable price, and to do that, we need real-time visibility across the entire logistics value chain,鈥� Sarapinas explains.

For Girteka Logistics, creating a solid digital foundation is tomorrow鈥檚 target. Digital technology is the foundation for everything the company does, from upskilling people to meeting customer expectations to becoming more sustainable. Having fully integrated and automated systems and processes will relieve the workforce of repetitive tasks and free them up to gain real-time control of operations.

Purpose Is the New Normal

While Girteka is clearly focused now on dealing with the challenges of COVID-19, its long-term focus on digital integration will help ensure that the company is well poised for success after the crisis. Other global challenges including climate change are not disappearing because of the pandemic.

鈥淥ur job during the crisis is to deliver essentials like food and medical supplies while making health and safety measures for our 18,000 colleagues our top priority,鈥� says Sarapinas. 鈥淥ur people have a new sense of purpose as they realize their work is essential for keeping supply chains up and running.鈥�

In the meantime, Sarapinas is following some good advice from Winston Churchill to .

To achieve the company鈥檚 ambitious business goal and reshape a traditional industry, Girteka Logistics is moving ahead with plans to digitize its entire business to scale growth.

鈥淲e鈥檙e implementing an end-to-end digital solution to become a ,鈥� Sarapinas says. 鈥淎fter the crisis, businesses will be reevaluating their supply chains and business models. We don鈥檛 know exactly how companies will operate differently, but we do know we鈥檒l have the digital foundation to meet any expectations customers may have tomorrow.鈥�

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Technology companies are rushing into that gap with software aimed at keeping people safe as citizens navigate a patchwork approach to easing shelter-in-place orders. One well-known approach is the use of contact-tracing apps on smartphones created by technology and telecommunications companies. These apps alert people if they have been in close proximity to an infected person.

Other technologies can help. When businesses and other institutions reopen, they will need to do many things differently. A new technology called gaze control allows people to avoid touching surfaces, like ATM display screens or subway-fare vending machines, that may be potentially contaminated with the virus.

Stephan Od枚rfer is founder and managing director of Munich-based , pronounced 鈥�42,鈥� a startup that creates gaze control technology. Put simply, the technology lets people use their eyes to interact with computers, replacing the need to touch a keyboard, mouse, or screen.

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4tiitoo has combined gaze control with artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze patterns in users鈥� eye movement and predict what people want to do next within a particular computer screen or application.

鈥淕aze control allows you to do two things: It controls the computer and we can use it to get an understanding of what the user actually wants to do,鈥� Od枚rfer said. 鈥淏y understanding intention, we can proactively support him.鈥�

For example, 4tiitoo technology called NUIA learns how a user reads and operates a data-entry form. With this information and the users鈥� gaze position, the solution automatically 鈥渃licks鈥� to the next field without the need to touch the mouse to navigate. This solution is also integrated with voice technology, so workers can dictate information directly into data fields rather than typing it.

There are countless applications of hands-free technology in a post-COVID-19 world.

Manufacturers鈥� employees, who are especially vulnerable, can benefit. 4tiitoo participated in in 2018. Since then, the two companies have collaborated to help improve efficiency and ergonomics on factory floors and in offices. Those projects have taken on a new urgency and importance to safeguard workers鈥� health and safety as they return to production lines. With eye control, workers will not have to risk infection by removing protective gloves to type or spend countless hours sanitizing touch screens.

Health clinics and hospitals can also benefit. 鈥淵ou have a higher risk of infection, as more infected people are in these areas,鈥� Od枚rfer said. 鈥淪o controlling a touch screen device with your gaze to select what you want to do will help.鈥� Because the solution is intuitive and easy to use, Od枚rfer hopes to avoid a steep learning curve, which typically slows widespread adoption of new technologies.

David Judge, vice president of Intelligent Enterprise Solutions at 麻豆原创, agrees. He believes the pandemic could hasten adoption of technologies like AI, blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning.

Before the pandemic, Judge says that companies were dipping their toe in the water with these technologies that may prove critical in the recovery period.

鈥淣o longer is it around the edges. Now companies have to rethink their entire customer experience because they can no longer service them in the same way,鈥� he said. 鈥淭丑别re are lots of interesting applications of these technologies, which are now being thought of in a new way and with more urgency.鈥�

For example, sporting venues need to reconsider how they interact with audiences and manage the stadium environment. 鈥淲e need to find new ways for people to enjoy such a public experience,鈥� Judge said. 鈥淲e’re going to have to have new procedures 鈥� new sensors, new ways of tracking people鈥檚 movements throughout that experience. Many companies wanted to do [this] before, but now we have this compelling event.鈥�

These technologies tracking and collecting personal data raises privacy concerns. Based in Europe, 4tiitoo designed its products to comply with the European Union鈥檚 stringent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But as Judge points out, contact tracing will collect personal health data. He thinks blockchain 鈥� as well as traditional data management and cybersecurity techniques 鈥� can help protect people鈥檚 data. Still, 鈥渋t鈥� going to be a tough challenge to unwind,鈥� he said.

But Judge remains bullish on accelerated adoption of intelligent technologies for two reasons. 鈥淔irst, [the pandemic is] going to be used to help make the transition from existing to future business models.鈥� For example, call centers, where people sit closely together, will need to find safer ways to answer calls using intelligent technology, like chatbots. Second, businesses will look for ways to use data to make smarter, faster business decisions while automating and speeding up human-driven tasks.

鈥淔or both of those two ambitions, you鈥檙e just going to throw gas on the fire,鈥� Judge shared.

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Highly variable demand for goods and services, uncertain supply of critical materials, and constrained capacity in manufacturing and logistics have resulted in critical shortages for medical equipment and consumer necessities.

These unparalleled supply chain disruptions are major contributors to the uncertain global economic environment.

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The COVID-19 Consumer

Upon realizing that we would be staying at home for several weeks, human instinct kicked in. The demand for vital commodities such as milk, eggs, bread, hand sanitizer, and — of all things — toilet paper increased and the demand for discretionary and luxury items dropped drastically.

This completely changed the way that听 consumers think and act. We are thinking less about luxury items and all about necessities, which has caused volatile demand; less about personalized products and more about personal safety; less about a great shopping experience and more about a great delivery experience to our front door; and less about one-day delivery but more about delivering as promised.

Stretched Supply Chains

Demand from restaurants, schools, and other large customers has fallen while the demand from stores and individual consumers has increased, along with the volume of shipments, how they are packed, and how they are delivered. This has put a huge strain on the manufacturers, distributors, and retail outlets providing these commodities.

Manufacturers in particular have had to:

• Look for alternate sources of material
• Run planning scenarios and simulations to determine where and what to produce, where to position inventory, and how to satisfy demand
• Ensure that key assets and equipment are operational
• Search carrier networks for the logistics capacity to deliver goods

They have had to do all of this while ensuring the safety of their workforce. Technical work practices, for example, are being modified to accommodate social distancing while keeping production lines operational.

What is the New Normal?

When the pandemic eases, businesses will almost certainly be less risk tolerant. The days of the supply chain optimization being all about cost reduction are over. Supply chains will become — if they are not already — a strategic topic. Today, resilient supply chains, from design through manufacturing to delivery, are top of mind.

Businesses will look to:

• Have alternate sourcing strategies that balance local and global suppliers
• A “design everywhere, produce everywhere” approach
• Balance off-shoring, near-shoring and on-shoring manufacturing capabilities
• Drive inventory optimization policies to create strategic buffers of key products, components, and raw materials
• Conduct scenario planning and simulations in order to develop risk mitigation strategies

Boardroom discussions will focus on how to leverage supply chains to drive the recovery in the short term and to become more resilient and sustainable in the long term.

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Jesper Schleimann, chief innovation officer of 麻豆原创 EMEA North, talks about why a crisis is good for innovation, why now is the time for companies to discover their purpose DNA, and what 麻豆原创 is doing to help support enterprise recovery and growth.

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Accelerating Innovation and Transformation During a Global Crisis

鈥淭丑别 COVID-19 crisis is acting like a tsunami for purpose-driven innovation, washing away the inefficiencies of the enterprise,鈥� Schleimann said.

He explained that the crisis has forced leaders to focus, be agile, and make bold decisions quickly in order to survive and show customers, employees, and investors that they are stepping up with a wider purpose: to help the world tackle the crisis.

Finding Corporate Purpose DNA

According to Schleimann, there is no better time for businesses to focus on finding their higher purpose and how they can deliver valuable sustainable experiences to听all听stakeholders 鈥� customers, employees, suppliers, environment, communities, and shareholders.

Instead of treating sustainability as a single project or department, it must be integrated into the core of the business strategy.

鈥淲e have a unique opportunity to refine the purpose of the enterprise, balancing short-term profit with long-term purpose as it is clear that the resilience of an enterprise needs both,鈥� Schleimann said. 鈥�I think the key questions to any business are 鈥榃hat is your relevance, your true purpose in this world? What are your strengths and your role in the wider value chain or ecosystem?鈥欌��

Schleimann added that 听sustainability impact labs provide a way to get started: 鈥淭丑别 labs are a way to uncover your strengths, path, and purpose through a series of customer workshops with a听rockstar听team of digital athletes devoted to exploring specific use cases around sustainability, and define a road map and game plan for next steps, to ensure your business relevance in the long term.鈥�

Four Phases to Lead in a Disruptive Crisis

Based on research in leadership patterns observed in times of significant change,听people will move through the following four stages: coping, reaction, adaption, and 鈥� eventually 鈥� reorientation.

鈥淵ou’re moving through these stages with an increasing awareness that you want to create a strong positive narrative toward the new world,鈥� Schleimann explained. 鈥淢ost important, as you move beyond the initial stages, is to create excitement in your organization and keep the energy level up. And purposeful innovation drives focus and motivation, so employees can carry you forward and keep the momentum going through a tough crisis like this one.鈥�

麻豆原创 Supports Enterprise Recovery and Growth

Like many companies, 麻豆原创 has stepped up and is taking action by offering free services and solutions to help clients and employees in this challenging time. Open access to 麻豆原创 Ariba Discovery means that any buyer can post their immediate sourcing needs and any supplier can respond. In addition, Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse helps companies keep track of how their employees are doing in their new way of working.

Another initiative is a sprint to fight COVID-19 through the , which encourages employees to reimagine how technology and 麻豆原创 solutions can help tackle the crisis. Using 麻豆原创鈥檚 business innovation platform in combination with its vast ecosystem of partners, the sprint aims to unlock great ideas from employees. Thus far, more than 500 have been submitted. 麻豆原创 will fund the best ones in order to help the world move through the COVID-19 crisis.

Now more than ever, we have the opportunity to redefine a path through purpose-driven innovation. Many great examples have paved the way for a new future driven by purpose; let鈥檚 ensure we make it our future.

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It is not a new way of tackling that laundry pile that seems to grow week by week; it鈥檚 a fascinating technology approach to helping scientists discover a cure for COVID-19.

According to scientists, proteins are made of a linear chain of chemicals 鈥� amino acids 鈥� that, if performing effectively, 鈥渇old鈥� into compact, functional structures. How a protein鈥檚 components arrange and move determines its function. Viruses have proteins as well, which are used to suppress our immune systems and reproduce themselves.

To help fight coronavirus, scientists and doctors need to understand how the viral protein works, or 鈥渇olds,鈥� if they are going to find ways to stop it.

This is where Big Data meets epidemiology. By running computer simulations that help them understand the moving parts of proteins, researchers believe the data they gather will get them closer to a cure.

鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 never been more experts coming together to focus on a single topic as of right now,鈥� Michael Schmidt, architect for Converged Cloud at 麻豆原创, says.

However, running the countless numbers of simulations that are required takes a massive amount of computing power. That鈥檚 where companies and the general public comes in. Donating unused computing power can accelerate the speed at which these simulations run, which may get us closer to a cure.

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The initiative got a big boost when put out a call to gamers across the globe, asking them to join the fight.

鈥淕aming computers are extremely powerful machines,鈥� Schmidt explains. 鈥淏efore this crisis, gamers often used their spare capacity to 鈥榤ine鈥� cryptocurrency and make a little money on the side. But now they are donating their graphics processing unit (GPU) power to science.鈥�

麻豆原创 has joined this effort. To quickly get this off the ground, Schmidt鈥檚 DevOps team automated its capacity contribution, scaling existing spare computing capacity. This capacity is located on the company鈥檚 flagship converged cloud enterprise edition platform, the same platform that hosts many of 麻豆原创 customers. When the COVID-19 crisis hit, the team envisioned using this early implementation to dynamically schedule and scale a Folding@home central processing unit (CPU) and GPU from the platform, scaling up when idle and scaling down when needed by other payloads.

鈥淥ne of the things our cloud does really well is distributing the load across the many computers we have in our data centers,鈥� Schmidt shares. 鈥淲e can measure in real time the pressure we put in the system, and automatically scale back the capacity we鈥檙e giving to Folding@home if needed, really making sure no productive payload is being affected.鈥�

Additionally, since 麻豆原创 always maintains spare capacity for its customers, a few of 麻豆原创鈥檚 spare GPU bare-metal nodes were added to the project. While these dedicated servers are few in numbers, they can calculate extensive work units that yield a very high processing power for very heavy workloads. The team subsequently increased the contribution to the Folding@home project, providing an average of 19 petaflops 鈥� equivalent to approximately 50,000 CPUs and additional GPUs from its normal cloud spare capacity.

The load is spread across three continents and nine regions. currently ranks in the top 200 contributors, higher than other software companies. Schmidt says he鈥檚 ecstatic with the results but remembers this is not really a competition. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in this together, and I鈥檓 glad the other companies are donating so much as well.鈥�

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But there can be missteps too. Promotions tied to COVID-19 fill my social feed and inbox: Buy a comfy work-from-home bra! Puzzles (that are sold out) to help entertain the family!

is a digital marketing guru, startup investor, and author of 鈥�.鈥� His latest venture, OpenMessage, creates dynamic, branded text messages to drive customer loyalty. The company was selected by global startup accelerator to participate in a new cohort of customer experience and retail companies.

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Here Bough provides important advice to businesses about how to stay relevant, keep connected to employees and consumers, and protect their brand during these turbulent times.

People-Centered Value Creation

For companies to stay relevant, while not acting opportunistically, Bough says companies must put human need front and center.

鈥淧eople are going through tough times, so what are the things that you can do as a person and a business to help ease tough times?鈥� he notes. Any product innovation or new revenue streams developed right now must be founded on the bedrock of compassion.

鈥淚t’s really going to become 鈥楬ow do I create value for consumers that ease the pain and help us get back to normalcy as fast as we can?鈥�, given the issues that we have,鈥� Bough says. He believes that if businesses focus their efforts and resources against that challenge, they will figure a way through this challenging period and wind up on the right side of history.

Bough heeds his own advice. OpenMessage enables companies to send branded, interactive text messages to consumers. But right now his company is helping a midwestern grocery chain send consumers messages with important information, such as a shopping list with enough items to last two weeks and how to get supplies like toilet paper or hand sanitizer in a more structured, organized way.

Empathy for Employees

To an extent, stay-at-home orders during the pandemic have acted as a great equalizer for white collar workers. Everyone from CEOs to software developers now works at home while simultaneously managing education and childcare, caring for elderly or sick loved ones, and keeping their households functioning despite long waits for grocery shopping.

To keep employees motivated and creative, Bough explains, 鈥淚 think it starts with empathy and just really understanding and getting to the bottom of what’s happening in your employee’s current situation.鈥� He cautions that managers shouldn鈥檛 pry but try to learn enough to put their requests into perspective.

While some businesses have ground to a halt, companies need to keep the engine running so they can come out of this on the other side. For Bough, that boils down to flexibility and compassion: 鈥淭丑别 biggest tip is to be empathetic and then to really, really think about how you structure the workday so that works around what the different needs of the people who work for you.鈥�

The Silver Lining

Bough recognizes that people crave optimism right now and sees positivity in several areas. First is family togetherness. 鈥淎s crazy as it is, there鈥檚 a silver lining and blessing here that many times we don鈥檛 get to share this kind of time with our family. And here we are. We鈥檙e with them 鈥� good, bad, or ugly,鈥� Bough says. He encourages people to embrace this special period to rebuild relationships and spend time in-person or virtually with elderly relatives.

鈥淚’m enjoying being able to spend every night on a Zoom call with my dad going through the half a million photographs that we have and talking about them. And that’s time that I usually wouldn’t have. Those are beautiful things,鈥� he shares.

Second, Bough sees this as an opportunity for genuine connection with consumers. With so many people craving outside activities, businesses can offer services that will help them 鈥渄ig out of the hole quickly鈥� once they resume. For example, restaurants can offer cooking shows. 鈥淚 know some people are stuck at home, trying but they鈥檙e not great cooks, so how can businesses provide that connectivity to them?鈥�

Last, Bough is inspired by the impact companies can make and offers several examples. With non-essential businesses shut down around the country, nail salons are offering online tutorials and advice to clients. 鈥淭丑别n you have Estee Lauder changing their facilities to create hand sanitizer,鈥� he says. 鈥淭丑别se are the examples that I find the most fascinating, with the most amount of human ingenuity being put to the test in a chaotic environment.鈥�

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