Digital First Magazine – July 2023 – 10 Most Eminent Healthcare Companies in 2023

Most Eminent Healthcare Companies in 2023

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Pioneering the Future of Healthcare

healthcare expenditure surpassed USD 10 trillion, signifying an ever-increasing demand for top-notch medical solutions and services. However, the silver lining lies in the substantial investments in the healthcare technology sector, which has paved the way for a new era of innovation. With advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, personalized medicine, and telehealth, we find ourselves at the precipice of a healthcare revolution that promises to transform how we approach well-being.

Innovation has always been the driving force behind advancements in the healthcare technology sector. In a world where rapid developments and breakthroughs are the norm, innovative solutions are the key to unlocking the potential for better patient outcomes, streamlined processes, and, ultimately, a healthier global population. As we navigate the healthcare landscape in 2023, the need for cutting-edge solutions has never been more apparent. Now, more than ever, we rely on companies that lead the charge with groundbreaking technologies and a steadfast commitment to revolutionizing healthcare.

Statistics reveal that healthcare spending continues to grow exponentially, reaching unprecedented levels. In 2023 alone, global

In this issue, we have identified the 10 Most Eminent Healthcare Companies of 2023, which have stood out as beacons of innovation and excellence in this rapidly evolving landscape. These companies have consistently pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, fostering a culture of creativity, adaptability, and social responsibility. From groundbreaking medical devices that aid in early disease detection to data-driven platforms that improve patient care coordination, these visionary companies have emerged as leaders, reshaping healthcare’s future.

On the cover, we feature Larry Larmeu, the UK ServiceNow practice lead under Technology Strategy and Transformation. He has over 20 years of experience in technology, with over ten years delivering transformation to Financial Services organizations with ServiceNow. Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Larry shared his insights on the impact of technologies like IoT, RPA, and AI on the financial services industry, his career trajectory, current roles and responsibilities, success mantra, pieces of advice, and much more. Enjoy Reading.

TRANSFORMING ENTERPRISES THROUGH

COVER COVER

LARRY

TRANSFORMING ENTERPRISES THROUGH THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Larry Larmeu is the UK ServiceNow practice lead under Technology Strategy and Transformation. He has over 20 years’ experience in technology, with over 10 years delivering transformation to Financial Services organisations with ServiceNow. He is a member of the Deloitte ServiceNow Financial Services alliance team, providing significant input into the Financial Services strategy and propositions. He is currently leading the development of the Deloitte ServiceNow Financial Services Operations proposition, which enables the company’s FS clients to rearchitect their middle and back-office banking processes to enable true digital end to end connectivity with embedded automation, AI, analytics, controls, and security. Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Larry shared his insights on the impact of technologies like IoT, RPA, and AI on the financial services industry, his career trajectory, current roles and responsibilities, success mantra, piece of advice, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.

Director, UK ServiceNow Practice Lead, Deloitte

How is IoT/Big Data/AI/Robotics evolving today in the financial services industry as a whole? What are the most important trends that you see emerging across the globe?

FSI has been embracing Big Data and RPA for years now, which is helping firms identify new areas of revenue and cost saving, but there’s still plenty to do there. I think the most interesting and challenging thing happening in the industry right now is the introduction of fintech firms to the market. It’s no secret that traditional firms from the pre-digital age have had mixed results adapting to the digital world. Many of them have digitized their businesses in silos, meaning they could be lacking the cohesive experience that the fintechs provide. However, the traditional firms can also offer a far wider set of products and services. This is something the fintechs are trying to catch up with, but many are finding that the bigger they get, the more products they offer, and the more geographies they operate in, they are starting to run into similar challenges around regulation that the traditional firms face, but with smaller workforces to be able to deal with them. This is one place that I think AI could thrive in the coming years, helping firms to manage their risk and regulatory framework with a smaller, more productive workforce because the AI

has the potential to help streamline activities, automate tasks, and reduce duplicate efforts.

Larry, can you tell us about your professional background and areas of interest?

My background is in end user computing and infrastructure, but these days I am mostly focused on customer and employee experience, workforce productivity, data integration and workflow automation. I was lucky to be able to begin my career at age 16 because my high school had an internship program where some of the students were responsible for the installation and maintenance of all the tech in the school. After university I began my career working in infrastructure, installing and configuring storage and private cloud systems for mid-to-large size enterprises, and I later became an infrastructure architect at a bank in my hometown of New Orleans. It’s there that I discovered ServiceNow while trying to build some automated workflows, and I eventually became the ServiceNow platform lead for the bank where my focus changed more to process redesign and workflow automation. After a few years in that role I moved into Consulting, and that led to a move from the US to the UK, and eventually into my current role at Deloitte.

SERVICENOW ALLOWS USERS TO TAKE ANY WORKFLOW, SUCH AS A CUSTOMER JOURNEY OR AN EMPLOYEE REQUEST, AND TURN IT INTO AN ORCHESTRATED END-TO-END EXPERIENCE, ALLOWING EVERYONE TO SEE ALL THE STEPS TAKEN, ACTIONS AND APPROVALS REQUIRED, ELAPSED TIME, AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION ALONG THE WAY

Brief us about ServiceNow. How does ServiceNow help digitize and unify organizations so that they can find smarter, faster, better ways to make workflow?

Over the last 10-15 years many companies have been busy with “digital transformation,”

but quite often they’ve been treating this as a series of siloed projects that digitize some of the higher priority products or functions, often leaving the organization in a mixed state when it comes to things like data quality, automation, and visibility. ServiceNow allows users to take any workflow, such as a customer

WE ARE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING ALLIANCES AT DELOITTE, SPREADING ACROSS OUR CONSULTING, RISK ADVISORY, TAX AND LEGAL BUSINESSES, AND ONE OF SERVICENOW’S TOP ALLIANCE PARTNERS THE REGION BOTH FROM A SALES AND A DELIVERY QUALITY ASPECT

journey or an employee request, and turn it into an orchestrated end-to-end experience, allowing everyone to see all the steps taken, actions and approvals required, elapsed time, and any other pertinent information along the way. This allows work to pass seamlessly across multiple functions, departments, or even companies, and maintain the visibility and auditability of the process. As a result, end users can see real-time status updates for

their pending work, process and product owners are able to identify areas for improvement, and auditors are able to see in real-time whether processes are in or out of compliance instead of relying on point-in-time audits. ServiceNow’s robust integration hub means all this work can take place in the various systems that each user does their work in and still be reflected back into one single workflow, meaning it can increase productivity with minimal disruption.

What do you do at Deloitte and what impact do you make?

We’re quite a matrixed organization at Deloitte, which means we typically hold multiple roles at once. My primary role is as the UK ServiceNow practice lead, where I oversee all aspects of the business along with my leadership team that drives our sales, delivery, operations, and people agendas.

We are one of the fastest growing alliances

at Deloitte, spreading across our Consulting, Risk Advisory, Tax and Legal businesses, and one of ServiceNow’s top Alliance Partners the region both from a sales and a delivery quality aspect.

Along with this, I also serve as one of the members of our global Financial Services industry team for ServiceNow, leading our strategic messaging, solutions, and assets. Historically, ServiceNow is well known for serving internal functions like IT, HR, and Risk, but I see the future of ServiceNow moving further into verticalized work like financial services operations, where Deloitte are building solutions for things like payments servicing, loan servicing, exception management, and client onboarding. Other colleagues are also building similar solutions for other verticals, such as Life Science on Now that orchestrates workflows like research and development or clinical trials, along with University in a Box that helps higher education to better connect their students, faculty, and staff.

What, personally, has allowed you the success you have had in the role of an enterprise technology transformation leader?

I think anyone who has worked with me would tell you that I am heavily focused on building for the future. Early in my career I saw too many examples of companies implementing 2-3 year programs to implement something that they have seen one of their competitors do successfully. It’s likely 1-2 years since the competitor has gone live with this solution if we’re able to see the results, so hypothetically if we take 2-3 years to implement something

SERVICENOW RELEASED THE FINANCIAL SERVICES OPERATIONS PRODUCT BACK IN 2019 WITH DELOITTE AS THE LEAD COLLABORATOR, AND WE ARE INVESTING HEAVILY TO BE THE TOP SERVICENOW ALLIANCE PARTNER IN FSI AND HELP SERVICENOW CAPTURE THIS SUBSTANTIAL MARKET

similar, we’re now 3-5 years behind that competitor by the time we’ve gone live. It’s critical to build for the future, and not only that, but to stay current with an active continuous improvement program, so we don’t have to periodically run huge transformation programs to catch up with everyone else. Along with that, I believe strongly in empowering my team to drive their own initiatives and their careers. As a business leader, empowering my team to be able to do what they need to do successfully is more powerful than anything I can achieve as an individual.

What is it that motivates and inspires you in your everyday life?

My main motivation is just to make anything I get involved in better. Whatever I can do to improve experiences for my colleagues, my clients, my friends and family, that is what I want to do. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I know I am making even the smallest difference for others. As far as inspiration, I am the kind of person that likes to take in a lot of information. I listen to podcasts, read articles, and keep up with the news. When I attend conferences, I often seek out sessions from other industries, as I find that I can take a lot more inspiration for creative solutions from other industries much more than I can from listening to people in the financial services world, as we all tend to be dealing with the same things. I’m a keen traveller, as well, and think that there’s a lot that we can learn from how other countries and cultures do things. That is one of the things that brought me to the UK from the US, the ability to travel and see different perspectives and ways of living.

What are you particularly proud of in your career?

A couple of times in my career I have received awards around my leadership and people management, which were voted on by members of my team. To me, there’s no greater achievement than being recognized as someone that is great to work with and great to work for. That made me very proud, and also very grateful to the great role models I have had in the past that helped me to shape the leadership philosophy that I have for my career.

What are your passions outside of work?

I’ve always been very interested in sports, and I co-founded a website that was focused on scouting American football players while at university. When I graduated, I had a decision to make, I was either going to pursue a master’s degree in Sports Management or find a job in technology. Technology won out in the end, but I have still maintained an interest in sports over the years and can often be found attending games. I also enjoy spending time with my family, watching TV shows and movies, live music, and live comedy shows.

What is your biggest goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now? Right now, my biggest goal is to establish ServiceNow as a key platform in the financial services industry. I started working with ServiceNow back in 2011 focusing on IT, and by 2014 my team was developing solutions for the bank that I was working for at the time around loan servicing, wire transfer approvals, fraud investigation, and various other internal bank functions. What we were able to deliver with ServiceNow was both better from a user standpoint and also quicker to go live than anything we could do in the other systems that we were building process and workflow automation on, and it was at that time that I realized the future for ServiceNow would be so much more than IT or HR. ServiceNow released the Financial Services Operations product back in 2019 with Deloitte as the lead collaborator, and we are investing heavily to be the top ServiceNow Alliance Partner in FSI and help ServiceNow capture this substantial

THE INDUSTRY IS AT A PIVOTAL POINT RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE SO MANY PROCESSES THAT HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO AUTOMATE AND STREAMLINE OVER THE LAST 10+ YEARS DUE TO MATTERS LIKE COMPLICATED ARCHITECTURES AND POOR DATA QUALITY THAT ARE ABOUT TO BE UNLOCKED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

market. I hope that in 5 years I am the go-to person for both ServiceNow and my Deloitte colleagues when it comes to digitizing front, middle, and back-office functions in financial services.

What advice would you offer others looking to build their career in the financial services industry?

The industry is at a pivotal point right now, there are so many processes that have been difficult to automate and streamline over the last 10+ years due to matters like complicated architectures and poor data quality that are about to be unlocked by artificial intelligence (AI). Investments in fintech are also driving huge improvements in user experience for customers and employees alike, and the idea of what it means to be a bank, an insurer, or an investment broker is changing. Physical financial centers are closing, in lieu of more and more digital interactions. Changing financial providers is easier than ever, which means maintaining customer loyalty will likely become more and more difficult. Think about how you can use next-generation technology to improve customer experiences, make peoples’ lives easier, and at the lowest cost possible. Think about how internal processes have the potential to enhance employee experience to ensure that firms are able to keep top talent on staff. Finally, focus on making sure the improvements you are making are scalable – I have seen so many firms invest in improvement programs that didn’t succeed because they were able to make a difference at a small scale but failed to be adopted across the wider firm.

Platform Model Enables to Connect Sustainable Value

Nouamane Cherkaoui, Chief Transformation Officer, BPCE Solutions informatiques, France

Globalization, the merge of digital services, the explosion of data and the need for ATAWAD mobility connection (means – the offered technological capacity to users in order to access information anytime, from anywhere and on any device) as well as the latest Covid crisis have profoundly upset the traditional patterns of many companies and their strategies.

New competition in an open and innovative world

For many years, we have been witnessing the emergence of new business models like big tech which are transforming many industries with new rules. So big tech like as GAFA, NATU and BATX are changing the landscape with AI, machine learning, blockchain and are driving drastically new business models. All these changes require a drastic rethinking of B-To-B

Companies like Amazon, Uber, Airbnb and Booking.com or Deliveroo are disrupting the functioning of entire sectors (retail, urban mobility, hotels, restaurants) and compete or even outgrow historical leaders formerly well established

Nouamane Cherkaoui has started his career in Capital Venture and e-Payment Systems. He created his Start-up in 2001. Nouamane is an experienced Chief Information, Transformation & Data Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the international financial services. He led strategic IT transformation and innovationprojectsatCaissed’Epargne, Natixis, Postal Bank & Société Générale. He joined BPCE Group in 2021 to lead The Transformation Office at BPCE-SI. Nouamane is an author and member of Data & IA Think Tank. Also, he has given talks and presentations on various Digital Transformation matters (Data, API, AI & open banking) and the collaboration with Tech start-up).

and B-To-C relationship around what we call Platforms nowadays.

The platform economy is a current and future trend. It offers challenges and opportunities as well for enterprises, or industries, markets, and public organisations but also for the society, the customers, our daily lives, and regulations. It is a new digital revolution driven by technological innovations, online connectivity, and data. Platforms, hybrid players between companies and markets.

The success of the platforms now seems exponential and their growth illimited. Facebook connects billions of individuals among themselves daily. The three pluses large global market capitalizations (Apple, Alphabet-Google, Microsoft) and seven of ten most important startups are platforms.

Companies like Amazon, Uber, Airbnb and Booking.com or Deliveroo are disrupting the functioning of entire sectors (retail, urban mobility, hotels, restaurants) and compete or even outgrow historical leaders formerly well established.

What is Platformization and Platform?

Platformization is a phenomenon by which organizations modify, evolve their structures, and uses to adapt, change, and pursue their missions in a very dynamic context.

A platform is a business model based on both technologies and an organization that allows companies and administrations to be able to offer new services and interact more and more with their employees, their customers, their suppliers and with all of the economic ecosystem.

Platform is not an integrated suite of software products, startup services and technological innovations. It’s a holistic business model

Platforms are the back-end technology capabilities, whether provided by individual systems or by assemblies of multiple systems, that power products, as well as the enterprise more broadly

that creates value by bringing and connecting consumers and producers.

Nevertheless, Platforms are not focused on working without physical assets. This is a common misconception. In fact, some of the most successful platforms use physical assets as a strong control point. This in turn increases uses and leads to even more transactions when creating a developer ecosystem strategy always consider which partner applications can be interoperable to increase consumer choice and which partners must be dedicated to creating sustainable competitive advantage.

Platforms are one of the answers to the digital transformation.

The actors of the era that have been able to take advantage of this external growth model with successes include Alibaba, Ping An or Airbnb. These players offer hundreds of services and products in partnership with companies in sectors close to or complementary to theirs by taking advantage of the capabilities of their platforms.

Digital has given this the opportunity to redefine the relationship between companies and their customers. Everyone has become aware of the need to put the customer back into the center. These new challenges lead to emphasize as much as the customer experience, the product, or the service. Technology makes it possible to offer these services, to collect data and to better exploit them to promote commercial innovation and the personalization of services.

Differentiating layers to be a platform

The most important elements to be a platform are network effect, user experience, data and technology. They are all key to ensuring

that efforts to develop such an ecosystem are sustainable and bring value both for the enterprises and the customers.

A network effect occurs when new users subscribing to a product or service increase its value and usefulness to current and future users. If a product or service has a network effect, its value and usefulness increase along with the number of users. Social media platforms for example: The more the number of users of a social network increases, the more it becomes necessary for communication and its value increases for current and future users while that of the alternatives increases.

A successful user experience (UX) is the engine of growth. The connection between several objects in a platform leads to design a more than a product or service, which allows to focus on customer needs, on the relationship between the brand and the human, to create strong ties, more solid, long-term…

Data plays an essential role in this integration and is the feedstock for platforms. I believe that the platform economy is a way of creating value and organizing layered activities enabled by digital platforms, information and data. Based on the data, platforms typically can offer personalized, timely and optimized services for their users, and better service offerings for the service producers.

Network orchestrators’ core competencies include data and analytics naturally. They often collect customer and merchant demographic data (age, sex, geography) in a profile. Miking demographic data with financial and behavioral from transactions enables enterprises to better understand both parties and even to predict their future sales and purchase forecasts Customer

and Merchant. Those Profiles, enable data and analytic-driven decision making or push recommendations.

Platforms also can leverage the power of data- to create community positive feedbacks and interactions. The mature platforms, become better at ‘matchmaking’, connecting consumers to the most relevant value units.

At the end, technology capacities as support for connections and cross-services. Platforms are the back-end technology capabilities, whether provided by individual systems or by assemblies of multiple systems, that power products, as well as the enterprise more broadly. Many companies launch their digital efforts with a focus on creating and improving products through a stand-alone organization that is separate or siloted from company IT. These separately funded digital units deliver user-experience innovations quickly by employing a mix of design and engineering talent, using cloud technologies, following agile delivery practices like as agile framework, and, often, fostering a different working culture and approach.

In the digital platform ecosystem, technology mediates connections between

actors – such as people, organizations, and resources – making it easy and efficient for participants to connect and exchange value, incorporate new technologies, integration between digital and traditional technology solutions requires more extensive cooperation with the market tech providers or small startup.

“Technology alone is not enough” Steve Jobs

Whether for oneself or to seek in the market, the technology as the data have become the engines of this transformation of platforms. Platforms requiring more openness, innovation, and collaboration. Steve Jobs said, “Convenience is cheaper than free.” Building a platform that has a frictionless user experience, one that wows the customers, and personalizes customer demand management is key to a successful platform strategy.

Each one could with platform strategy and collaboration with the ecosystem, bolt on products and services, getting into markets and growing top-line revenues as they understand the customer demand and build upon customer trust but also with other actors to have a global, quality, and adapted offer.

The most important elements to be a platform are network effect, user experience, data and technology

Babylon Health

10 MOST EMINENT HEALTHCARE

COMPANIES IN 2023

MOST EMINENT HEALTHCARE COMPANIES IN2023

Website:

https://www.babylonhealth.com/

Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

Keyperson: Ali Parsadoust, CEO

About the Company: Babylon Health revolutionizes healthcare with its AI-powered platform, seamlessly connecting patients to virtual clinical operations via its user-friendly web and mobile application.

Doctolib

Website:

https://www.doctolib.fr/

Headquarters: Paris, France

Keyperson: Stanislas Niox-Chateau, Cofounder & CEO

About the Company: Doctolib is a pioneering healthcare innovation company with a humancentric, entrepreneurial mindset, driven by four guiding principles - creating helpful solutions for care teams and people, serving everyone equally with accessible technologies, collaborating with users for a healthier world, and safeguarding user privacy for their health and data.

Healthbird

Website:

https://www.healthbird.com/

Headquarters: Florida, USA

Keyperson: Irena Tigranyan, Co-Founder and COO

About the Company: HealthBird is revolutionizing insurance with its cutting-edge digital platform, simplifying health insurance enrollment and empowering individuals to navigate the intricate landscape of insurance options effortlessly.

Infermedica

Website:

https://infermedica.com/

Headquarters: Wrocław, Poland

Keyperson: Piotr Orzechowski, Founder and CEO

About the Company: Infermedica is Pioneering accessible and affordable healthcare for all through their intelligent Medical Guidance Platform, automating primary care from symptom to outcome with early symptom assessment, digital triage, and seamless physician-patient communication driven by a powerful trio of Medical Knowledge Base, Inference Engine, and API gateway.

KeyCare Iterative Health

Website:

https://iterative.health/

Headquarters: Massachusetts, USA

Keyperson: Jonathan Ng, Founder and CEO

About the Company: Iterative Health is pioneering the use of artificial intelligencebased precision medicine in gastroenterology (GI), with the aim of helping to optimize clinical trials investigating the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Website:

https://www.keycare.org/

Headquarters: Illinois, USA

Keyperson: Lyle Berkowitz, MD, Founder and CEO

About the Company: KeyCare is empowering health systems with a cutting-edge Epic-based virtual care platform and specialized provider staffing, enabling expanded virtual care options to enhance patient access and elevate healthcare quality.

Nanox

Website:

https://www.nanox.vision/

Headquarters: Shefayim, Israel

Keyperson: Erez I. Meltzer, CEO

About the Company: Nanox AI is Illuminating smart population healthcare management with AI-based solutions, proactively identifying high-risk patients for chronic diseases and facilitating preventive care journeys.

PathAI

Website:

https://www.pathai.com/

Headquarters: Massachusetts, USA

Keyperson: Dr. Andy Beck, Co-Founder and CEO

About the Company: PathAI is empowering better patient outcomes through AI-powered pathology, revolutionizing disease diagnosis and treatment efficacy, particularly in cancer, with cutting-edge machine learning techniques, promising significant improvements in accuracy and precision.

Safely2Prosperity

Website:

https://www.safely2prosperity.com/

Headquarters: Massachusetts, USA

Keyperson: Dr. Haden A. Land, CEO & CTO

About the Company: Safely2Prosperity (S2P) empowers healthcare organizations with cutting-edge technology, offering a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant dashboard that automates infectious disease risk management, enabling proactive responses and crisis management.

Verily Life Sciences

Website:

https://verily.com/

Headquarters: California, USA

Keyperson: Stephen Gillett, CEO

About the Company: Verily, an Alphabet company, pioneers precision health with a data-driven, people-first approach, revolutionizing healthcare through personalized paths and evidence-based practices.

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HealthBird

Making Healthcare Accessible to Everyone

The health insurance industry has long been a labyrinthine system with countless policies, regulations, and variables to navigate. The rising costs of care have made it all the more difficult for individuals to find and utilize the best insurance options available. But amidst the complexity and confusion, a new player has emerged: HealthBird.

Founded just over a year ago by Irena Tigranyan and Ariel Dominguez, HealthBird is disrupting the insurance industry with its innovative digital platform. The goal? To streamline the process of finding and enrolling in health insurance and to make it easy for individuals to understand the complex landscape of insurance offerings.

“For many people, the prospect of navigating the world of health insurance can be daunting. Especially for those who don’t have the benefit of company health plans, the process of evaluating options and enrolling in a plan can take upwards of two hours. But with HealthBird, the process is quicker and simpler than ever before,” says Irena Tigranyan, CoFounder and COO of HealthBird.

The idea behind HealthBird came from Tigranyan and Dominguez’s recognition that many individuals simply don’t have the time or resources to navigate the complicated insurance landscape. They saw an opportunity to make a real difference by providing individuals with

Irena Tigranyan, Co-Founder, COO

Ariel Dominguez, Co-Founder, CEO

the information they need to make informed decisions about their healthcare. And that’s exactly what they’ve done.

Since its founding, HealthBird has quickly established itself as the leading platform for individuals to find and utilize the best health insurance options available. By digitalizing the

insurance experience, HealthBird has made it easy for individuals to understand the process and get the necessary coverage.

In recognition of their innovative work, HealthBird was recently named the number one startup in the tech industry at the eMerge Americas conference. This award is a testament

to the impact that Tigranyan and Dominguez are having on the health insurance industry and to the transformative power of digital technology.

Simplifying the Enrollment Process

With its easy-to-use iOS and Android app, HealthBird offers added value to customers by providing a streamlined and user-friendly platform for managing healthcare. For individuals seeking health insurance, HealthBird’s app and webbased platform offer a personalized experience through its proprietary AI engine, which provides personalized recommendations for health plans based on the user’s unique needs and budget.

Unlike traditional brokers, HealthBird works with many top-rated insurance companies, providing unbiased recommendations for health plans that best fit the customer’s needs. This approach offers a refreshing change from the commission-based structures often found in the insurance industry, giving customers the peace of mind that they are getting the best advice possible.

One of the critical features of HealthBird’s app is its ability to simplify the enrollment

process, saving users time and effort. “We have a wide range of insurance options, allowing users to easily find and enroll in the plan that best fits their unique healthcare needs,” shares Irena. In addition, the app offers a range of features that help users manage their healthcare, including booking doctor’s appointments directly through the app, managing medications and prescriptions, and having all dependents’ cards and policies in one place.

Another benefit of HealthBird’s app is the discount RX card, which offers significant savings on prescription medications. This feature is particularly valuable for individuals requiring regular medication, as it can help them save on healthcare costs.

A Promising Start

Since its public launch on November 1st, 2022, HealthBird has gained attention and positive reviews, indicating a promising start for the business. “Our focus on simplifying the health insurance enrollment process and providing personalized recommendations and utilization

Unlike traditional brokers, HealthBird works with many top-rated insurance companies, providing unbiased recommendations for health plans that best fit the customer’s needs

has garnered a positive response from users, who appreciate the platform’s convenience and ease of use,” says Irena.

One of the key factors in HealthBird’s success has been its user-friendly app, which allows users to easily manage their healthcare needs from their mobile devices. The app offers a range of features, such as personalized recommendations and utilization, booking doctor’s appointments, managing medications

and prescriptions, and having all dependents’ cards and policies in one place. Users have praised the app’s simplicity and effectiveness, which have helped them to save time and better navigate the complexities of the insurance industry.

HealthBird’s growth strategy involves focusing on establishing a strong presence in the US market before expanding to other regions. Currently serving 25 states, the company aims to expand

its reach nationwide. “We plan to introduce new products to empower individuals to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. We may also explore expanding our offerings to include additional insurance options, such as life and pet insurance to provide a more comprehensive healthcare suite,” explains Irena.

In addition, HealthBird is actively partnering with healthcare providers, insurers, and technology companies that align with its

vision to expand its reach and capabilities. By forging strategic alliances, HealthBird can leverage the strengths and expertise of its partners to enhance its offerings and provide more value to its customers. These partnerships allow HealthBird to offer more tailored and personalized recommendations to its users and expand its range of services and solutions.

Recognizing the Importance of the Human Touch in Healthcare

As HealthBird continues to incorporate the latest technological advancements to enhance the user experience and streamline the health insurance enrollment process, the company has also made

By striking a balance between leveraging the benefits of technology and delivering personalized support, HealthBird is well-equipped to provide the valuable service that individuals need to make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage

a deliberate effort to maintain a personalized touch. “We recognize that technology can never replace the importance of the human touch in healthcare. At HealthBird, we have adopted a training program that prioritizes member satisfaction through feedback-focused coaching for our employees,” explains Irena.

The approach of emphasizing the importance of a member-centric perspective in every interaction ensures that a human representative, known as a member concierge, is always available to assist members with any questions or concerns they may have. By striking a balance between leveraging the benefits of technology and

HealthBird fosters cross-functional collaboration and teamwork, encouraging the exchange of ideas and perspectives across departments, which helps drive creativity and innovative solutions

delivering personalized support, HealthBird is well-equipped to provide the valuable service that individuals need to make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage.

HealthBird values its employees and actively promotes their engagement and development through various initiatives. Regular opportunities are provided for team members to express their opinions and ideas, which are recognized and rewarded by the company. Training programs and mentorship opportunities encourage professional growth, emphasizing the company’s commitment to investing in its employees.

“Innovation is also a key component of our culture. We encourage experimentation and risktaking among our employees, providing them with the resources and support necessary to test and implement new ideas,” pinpoints Irena. At HealthBird, innovative thinking is highly valued and recognized through rewards and recognition. The company fosters cross-functional collaboration and teamwork, encouraging the exchange of ideas and perspectives across departments, which helps drive creativity and innovative solutions. This approach allows HealthBird to remain dynamic and agile in a constantly evolving healthcare landscape.

Connecting Well with the Customers

HealthBird employs a multi-faceted approach to connect with its customers and meet their unique needs and preferences. “Besides social media and email marketing, we host events and webinars to provide education and facilitate interaction. Our partnerships with other businesses and organizations allow us to expand our reach and connect with new customer bases,” shares Irena. By utilizing content marketing, SEO, and referral

programs, HealthBird establishes itself as a trusted resource for health insurance solutions and strives to connect with its customers on a deeper level.

“For InsurTech startups, we recommend understanding the needs and desires of current customers to identify the core issues the company aims to solve. It’s essential to remain highly focused and aligned with the company’s mission while building a successful business,” opines Irena. Additionally, identifying a “North Star” that guides decision-making and strategic planning is essential. HealthBird’s “North Star” is member satisfaction, and the company continuously works to enhance it. HealthBird places a high priority on elevating member satisfaction and is committed to driving that number up.

An Exciting Future

HealthBird is preparing to release new, groundbreaking advancements in the near future and is excited to offer a sneak peek to its members before they are publicly unveiled. Irena says, “At HealthBird, we are committed to being a leader in the healthcare industry, constantly innovating, and finding new ways to enhance the health insurance experience for our customers.”

Those interested in staying up-to-date with HealthBird’s latest developments or becoming an investor can visit the company’s WeFunder page. “We are eager to build a community of individuals who share our vision of a better, more accessible healthcare system. Together, let’s create a healthier world,” concludes Irena. HealthBird’s success in the insurance industry can be attributed to its commitment to continued growth and progress. As HealthBird continues to innovate and improve, it will likely remain a top choice for individuals seeking health insurance.

Success – A Result of a Clear Strategy

Bastian Höck, Director of Sales and Business Development, Enpal

Success is a central goal for many people, but it can be difficult to achieve. There are various approaches to achieving success, but sometimes it’s hard to know which ones to focus on. For this reason, many people turn to productivity tools and systems to help them prioritize tasks, set goals, and stay on track. Two of the most popular and effective tools for achieving success are the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix. The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a principle that states that 80% of the results are achieved by 20% of the causes. This

principle can be applied to many areas, such as productivity, goal-setting, and time management. By focusing on the 20% of activities or goals that bring the biggest results, you can increase your productivity and efficiency and therefore achieve success faster. The Pareto Principle can also be used to prioritize tasks, by helping you identify the tasks that will have the biggest impact on your goals.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a tool for prioritizing tasks that were developed by former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is an effective way to distinguish important tasks from unimportant ones and prioritize

By focusing on the most important tasks or goals and prioritizing your time accordingly, you can reduce the pressure and stress of feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks or goals

Bastian grew up in the Cologne area and after his studies, he began a career in international sales. Over the years, Bastian specialized in the successful implementation and improvement of various cold calling systems before focusing on the scalability of holistic success systems in sales in recent years. His experiences and skills have enabled him to lead over 200 sales FTE at Enpal, the first green unicorn, and increase the company’s success. Bastian is working to grow the company sustainably by focusing on developing successful sales strategies tailored to customers’ needs.

your time accordingly. The Eisenhower Matrix consists of four quadrants, divided according to the urgency and importance of the tasks. By categorizing your tasks into these quadrants, you can set priorities and focus on the most important ones. Quadrant 1 should always have priority, as the tasks here are important and urgent. Quadrant 2 should also be considered, as these tasks are important but do not necessarily need to be done immediately. Quadrants 3 and 4 should be avoided, as the tasks here are either urgent but not important or neither urgent nor important.

Combining the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix can be a powerful way to achieve success. By applying the Pareto

Principle to goal-setting and productivity, you can identify the activities or goals that will have the biggest impact on your success. The Eisenhower Matrix can then be used to prioritize these activities or goals and focus your time and energy on the most important ones. By using these two tools together, you can stay focused on your goals, manage your time effectively, and achieve success faster.

In addition, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix can also be used to improve decision-making. By analyzing the impact and urgency of tasks or goals, you can make more informed decisions about what to focus on and what to delegate or eliminate. This can help you avoid wasting time and energy on tasks that are not important or urgent and enable you to make progress toward your goals more efficiently. Furthermore, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix can be used to manage stress and reduce burnout. By focusing on the most important tasks or goals and prioritizing your time accordingly, you can reduce the pressure and stress of feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks or goals. This can help you stay motivated and energized and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Overall, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix are powerful tools for achieving success. By focusing on the most important tasks and goals, and prioritizing your time and energy accordingly, you can increase your productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. Whether you’re trying to improve your productivity, achieve your goals, or manage your time more effectively, these two tools can help you get there. Moreover, they can also be used to improve decision-

The Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix are two powerful tools that can help you prioritize your time and energy towards the most important goals and tasks

making, manage stress, and reduce burnout, making them valuable tools for personal and professional development. Another way in which the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix can be utilized is in project management. These tools can help break down a project into smaller, more manageable tasks and prioritize them based on their importance and urgency. By using these tools to prioritize the tasks involved in a project, you can ensure that you are making progress toward your goals in a timely and effective manner.

Moreover, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix can be used to improve communication and collaboration within a team. By identifying the most important tasks or goals, team members can work together more effectively and efficiently toward a common objective. This can help improve morale and increase productivity within the team, leading to better outcomes and success. In addition, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix can be applied to personal development. By identifying the areas of your life or skills that are most important to your personal growth and development, you can focus your time and energy on improving those areas. This can help you achieve greater success in your personal and professional life, and lead to a greater sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Overall, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix are versatile tools that can be used in a variety of contexts to achieve success. By focusing on the most important tasks or goals and prioritizing your time and energy accordingly, you can increase your productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness in any area of your life. These tools can help you

make progress toward your goals, improve your decision-making, manage stress and burnout, and improve communication and collaboration within a team. Whether you’re striving for personal or professional success, these tools can help you get there.

To sum up, success is achievable through the right tools and approaches. The Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix are two powerful tools that can help you prioritize your time and energy towards the most important goals and tasks. They can be utilized in various contexts to improve productivity, decision-making, stress management, and personal development. By applying these tools to your daily routines, you can enhance your effectiveness and efficiency and increase your chances of achieving your goals. However, it’s important to note that these tools are not silver bullets. They require discipline, commitment, and adaptability to work effectively. You need to continuously evaluate and adjust your goals and tasks based on new information and feedback. Also, you need to be open to new tools and approaches that can complement or enhance the effectiveness of the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix.

In conclusion, the Pareto Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix are valuable tools for achieving success, but they are just part of the equation. To achieve true success, you need to combine these tools with the right mindset, habits, and skills. You need to be proactive, innovative, and resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks. With the right tools and the right mindset, you can overcome obstacles, reach your goals, and achieve lasting success.

The Future is Cyber-physical

Stephen West, CTO, Sopra Steria

Traditionally ICS were physically segregated from Information Technology (IT) systems. They were two different worlds, rooted in different periods of history. ICS developed as bespoke firmware-based applications evolving to help manage and control mechanical systems used in areas such as manufacturing and petro-chemicals which were rooted in industrial technologies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. IT systems are by comparison relatively new, developing rapidly from the computer systems that emerged from WW2 and the post-war period.

For larger systems the more common ICS types are SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) which uses networked computers to manage underlying peripheral devices such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) that are used to monitor and control the electro-mechanical systems, and DCS (Distributed Controls Systems) which are process control systems usually based on proprietary code integrating a network of plant controllers and sensors. These systems emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, at a time when networked and distributed IT computing was only just starting to emerge with ARPANET – the pre-cursor to the Internet – appearing in 1971.

Disrupting supply chains upstream of a target organisation is an effective and often easier way to achieve the desired outcome

Steve is a CTO and Chief Architect whohasspentthelast12yearsworking for HMG within UK National Security. Currently at Sopra Steria as the CTO on a large defence programme, Steve was previously a member of the team that founded NSSIF, HMG’s corporate venture arm for National Security, and the CTO for one of the National Security organisations. He has a particular interest in cyber security and the use of data and machine-learning to understand and protect complex systems.Steveisontheadvisoryboard of Exalens and the Royal Holloway School of Business Management and is a Fellow of the IET.

It was only a matter of time before the two distinct worlds would start to merge. People saw opportunities to move data between the two to provide business and operational benefits, and so interchanges became more common but were often ad hoc to meet specific requirements and not considered as part of an architected systems approach. Such “interfaces” often straddled air-gaps using removeable media such as floppy-disks and USB sticks of questionable provenance.

The flip side of this coin is that the divides between the two worlds were not traversed when they should have been, for example importing software and firmware patches to upgrade components within the controls systems, thereby leaving them vulnerable to attacks that could be orchestrated via the unofficial and unmanaged interfaces previously described.

One of the best known examples of this is Stuxnet and its use in a cyber-attack on the Iranian uranium enrichment programme in 2010. Whilst there is still speculation around this incident, the attack vector would have been removeable media to introduce the computer worm across the air gap and

into the network of Windows servers that formed part of the control system. This was achieved through companies in the supply chain, implanting the worm in their systems and waiting for it to reach the intended target through normal operations. Once in the target plant it attacked the software that controlled the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that were the interfaces to the uranium centrifuges. This caused the centrifuges to spin irregularly, thereby causing significant damage. It is estimated that this attack set back the Iranian uranium enrichment programme by two years.

Over time any segregation between the two worlds has eroded as the requirements to flow data across the divide have grown. The requirements to patch components within control systems, the driving and monitoring of enterprise business process that span IT and ICS, the capturing of management information, have all driven the need to integrate the two worlds.

This has increased the likelihood of cyberattacks on plant and manufacturing systems as the airgap has been digitally permeated thereby creating attack vectors. Furthermore, whilst IT systems typically enjoy effective cyber defences, ICS are not afforded such protection.

Protection of information is important, but loss of production translates into loss of output and so revenue

In recent times the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Disrupting supply chains upstream of a target organisation is an effective and often easier way to achieve the desired outcome. There are many examples of this that involve either cyber-attacks on

IT or ICS, but in each case the impact was at an organisational level and the blast radius extended into the supply chain beyond the target organisation.

• In 2022 a cyber-attack on IT systems at Kojima Industries shut down communication channels crippling crucial

production management functions. This in turn caused Toyota to suspend production as Kojima could not supply components to meet Toyota’s just in time manufacturing model.

• A cyber-attack against RenaultNissan in 2017 involving the WannaCry ransomware halted production at five plants located in England, France, Slovenia, Romania, and India. To prevent the spread of the infection throughout the company’s corporate environment, the infected plants were disconnected from its network.

• In 2017 Mondelez, a multinational food and beverage company, was the victim of an attack leveraging the NotPetya malware. This attack damaged 1,700 servers and 24,000 laptops, which severely impacted production facilities around the globe.

The approach to the management and securing of these systems has largely remained distinct. This is down to the differences, real or perceived, between the two types of system. The system architectures are different in terms of network topologies and segmentation, and functional partitioning. The physical components are very different in in terms of endpoints, and even where they are the same such as Windows servers, in ICS policy dictates that they are hardened to the extreme with proprietary software installed and so bear little resemblance to their IT counterparts. Furthermore, patching regimes are radically different, with components in ICS typically operational beyond vendor end of life dates and so beyond patch availability.

Cyber-physical systems and therefore cyber-physical monitoring are the future. It has been shown that the integration of cyber and physical (IT and ICS) is inevitable

Lastly, and most importantly, the security objectives for the systems are usually different. IT systems are business systems whose primary security objective is to protect the confidentiality of data, whereas for ICS the integrity of production processes and availability of components is paramount. Protection of information is important, but loss of production translates into loss of output and so revenue.

What is needed is systems approach, considering both IT and ICS holistically. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are the integration of computation, networking, and physical processes of an organisation. Embedded computers and networks monitor and control the physical processes, with feedback loops between these and the business IT systems. The economic and indeed societal potential of these systems is significant; harnessing the power of the data across the system as a whole using AI and ML technology to optimise, automate and protect. The technology builds on embedded systems, integrating the dynamics of the physical processes with those of software and networking, to enable modeling, design, and analysis techniques for the integrated whole.

Cyber-physical systems are complex and dynamic, and it is not just cyber threats that need to be addressed, but also operational resilience. Systems faults and equipment failures, whatever the cause, will result in disruption to operations and therefore impact the business and represent risks to operational availability and therefore business continuity. With IT systems and

ICS becoming increasingly integrated, the monitoring and cyber security systems need to span the entire cyber-system to meet the needs of the modern enterprise. Root cause is critical; whilst the impacts can be the same, understanding the root cause will determine how to respond, and this requires monitoring both the cyber and physical aspects of the system. And in order to answer the question of how to respond quickly, the data collected across the system needs to analysed and an answer generated through AI technology. Cyber-physical systems, therefore, need cyber-physical monitoring, and automated detection and response for an holistic operational resilience approach. The corollary of this is that the support teams need to be brought together so that system owners (information and operational) know how to respond and why.

Cyber-physical systems and therefore cyber-physical monitoring are the future. It has been shown that the integration of cyber and physical (IT and ICS) is inevitable. And it is not just manufacturing and industrial. Cyber-physical systems are increasingly prominent in all aspects of our lives, from smart cities and homes to the vehicles we drive and travel on. We can and should no longer make the distinction, and indeed embrace the benefits and advantages that true cyber-physical systems bring. To achieve this we must also recognise that we need the new generation of cyber-physical monitoring tools that exploit AI to make sense of the data and enable timely decisionmaking when time is of the essence.

KeyCare

Unlocking the Future of Virtual Care

For decades, physician shortages have been cited as one of the most significant barriers to delivering better access to quality care at lower costs in the U.S. healthcare system. However, the reality is that our nation does not have a physician shortage, as much as it has a shortage of using its physicians efficiently. Just like other industries have figured out how to use technology and a team-based approach to handle larger volumes of work, we must do the same in healthcare. In other words, what we really need is a system that effectively integrates physicians, teams, and technology to reimagine how to care

for a population by automating, virtualizing, and delegating the routine, repeatable, rules-based care (aka the “Triple R Threat”) that overwhelms our current system.

This new model of care could truly save our healthcare system by pairing up office-based physicians with a tech-empowered virtual team to improve patient access, provider burnout, cost, and quality of care – all at the same time. These concepts of population health and team-based care are not new, but KeyCare is a critically important new company in the healthcare landscape because it offers a way to truly execute on these ideas in a

Lyle Berkowitz, MD Founder and CEO

way that amplifies our physicians on the front-line like no one has ever done before.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, KeyCare is an Epic-based virtual care platform and provider staffing organization. The company helps health systems enhance access and quality by expanding their virtual care options for patients. KeyCare allows health systems to easily supplement their care teams, optimize capacity, and broaden their digital front doors by providing access to an independent, nationwide network of virtual care providers. These providers operate on an instance of Epic that is optimized for virtual care so that they can truly collaborate closely with their officebased partners.

The Beginning

In the Fall of 2022, KeyCare embarked on its journey of caring for patients by partnering with

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, KeyCare is an Epicbased virtual care platform and provider staffing organization. The company helps health systems enhance access and quality by expanding their virtual care options for patients

Sulabh Agarwal, CTO of KeyCare

its first health system in response to the surge in telehealth demand caused by the COVID pandemic. The founder and CEO, Lyle Berkowitz, MD, along with his team, aimed to develop a solution that would enable health systems to outsource a wide range of virtual visits while ensuring the highest level of experience, quality and collaboration by utilizing a shared Electronic Health Record (EHR) architecture. Recognizing Epic as the ideal technology partner, KeyCare collaborated closely with their executives and telehealth experts to launch KeyCare as the nation’s only fully virtual care partner on the Epic platform. They started with 24x7, 50-state virtual urgent care access, and are adding on other areas, including behavioral health, primary care, and a variety of speciality care providers.

Efficiently and Effectively Solving Problems

KeyCare importantly addresses three common problems encountered by health systems when working with third-party telehealth vendors. First, KeyCare resolves providers’ concerns regarding the limited access to patients’ medical histories that other telehealth partners typically face when making clinical decisions. KeyCare ensures that their providers have access to health system records when taking care of a patient, and then their records are shared back to the health system once a virtual visit is concluded, enhancing the quality of care on both sides of the journey.

Second, health systems decrease the risk of losing patients to external telehealth providers by leveraging KeyCare. Unlike third party vendors

who have separate portals and may compete with health systems, KeyCare enables patients to access a Virtualist through the health system’s front door. After the visit, the patient data is sent back to the health system, streamlining the patient experience and maintaining continuity of care. Additionally, along with cross-instance scheduling and data sharing, KeyCare providers have the potential to

send messages, referrals and orders directly back to the health system. Lastly, KeyCare empowers office-based physicians and staff to work at the top of their licenses by acting as a truly connected and collaborative partner sharing data and workflows. Imagine how well an office-based provider can be supported by a virtual care team that helps manage

Virtual Care Consumer Survey Says…

An October 2022 consumer survey, sponsored by KeyCare, found that patients want more telehealth options. Even more importantly, their strong preference is to receive virtual care from doctors and care teams who have the ability to view and share their comprehensive health records. Here are 5 numbers to know:

90% had a telehealth visit within the last year

79% say it is very important that both their regular doctor and their telehealth provider had access to their health records

46% say telehealth is their top choice for routine management of chronic care

92% say they are likely to utilize telehealth services if offered by their current health system

Only 33% say they prefer in-office visits for minor but urgent issues

routine, lower value activities for their shared patients in a way that provides these patients with quicker access for online care, while freeing up room in the office for complex care and new patients. This can allow both primary care doctors and specialists the ability to greatly expand their panel size, while decreasing the number of patients they need to see in the office – thus decreasing burnout, while increasing capacity and revenues for the system as a whole.

What Sets KeyCare Apart from Other Virtual Care Platforms in the Market

KeyCare stands out from other virtual care platforms in the market due to two key advantages derived from its utilization of Epic’s

full-stack, top-rated, #1 in KLAS Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. First, by utilizing Epic’s comprehensive EHR system, KeyCare gains access to a significantly broader range of functionality compared to telehealth-only platforms. This expanded functionality positively impacts efficiency, quality, and the platform’s ability to support various virtual care scenarios. KeyCare can more effectively cater to urgent care, primary care, specialty care, asynchronous care, and remote patient monitoring needs, thus offering a more comprehensive solution that meets diverse healthcare needs.

Second, KeyCare leverages Epic’s robust interoperability functionality to seamlessly share patient data and appointment scheduling between

KeyCare offers health systems a valuable opportunity to enhance access to virtual care, especially at a time when provider shortages and legislative challenges make it difficult for them to achieve this independently

KeyCare offers seamless integration with existing health systems, ensuring a smooth patient experience and simplified provider interactions

its own Epic instance and the Epic systems of its health system partners. This seamless integration enhances data continuity and streamlines the coordination of care for both patients and providers. KeyCare can additionally integrate with non-Epic EHRs using national interoperability standards via their involvement

with CareQuality and the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).

Unlock True Partner Benefits with KeyCare

KeyCare offers health systems a valuable opportunity to enhance access to virtual care,

Tom Conti, Chief Product Officer and Toby Rogers, COO

especially at a time when provider shortages and legislative challenges make it difficult for them to achieve this independently. KeyCare provides a range of benefits that set it apart from other third-party virtual care vendors.

One significant advantage is the seamless patient experience that KeyCare offers. Patients can stay within the Epic system throughout their virtual visit, eliminating the need to create new login credentials or reenter past medical history. This continuity enhances the patient experience and streamlines the care delivery process.

Another benefit is the improved quality of care achieved through robust data sharing. Virtual providers on KeyCare’s platform have access to patient data from their respective health systems, while health system providers gain access to patient data from KeyCare’s instance of Epic. This

comprehensive data sharing enables more informed clinical decision-making and contributes to higher-quality care delivery.

In addition, KeyCare offers economic advantages. Implementing and maintaining KeyCare requires minimal IT effort, thanks to Epic’s built-in interoperability features. This streamlines the integration process and reduces the burden on IT resources.

Finally, KeyCare’s full-stack platform enables a wider variety of future virtual care options. It can easily accommodate multiple clinical providers and support various virtual care scenarios, ensuring flexibility and scalability for health systems seeking to expand their virtual care offerings.

By leveraging these benefits, health systems can unlock the full potential of KeyCare and provide enhanced virtual care services to their patients.

Extensive Support and Training

Throughout the implementation process, the KeyCare team actively collaborates with health systems to develop a project charter and establish clear measures of success for the project. These metrics focus on evaluating solution performance, patient satisfaction, and the financial return on investment. By setting these benchmarks, KeyCare ensures that the implementation aligns with the health system’s goals and objectives.

Once the KeyCare solution is live, the Client Success team from KeyCare engages in regular quarterly reviews with the health system. During these reviews, they thoroughly analyze performance metrics and assess the solution’s effectiveness in meeting the established goals. This proactive approach allows for ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement, ensuring that KeyCare remains aligned with the evolving needs of the health system.

Furthermore, KeyCare offers comprehensive support in the form of marketing communication guidelines and a templated toolkit. These resources assist the health system in effectively promoting and driving the growth of virtual care within their organization. By providing guidance and tools, KeyCare empowers health systems to successfully communicate the benefits of virtual care to their patients and stakeholders, ultimately enhancing adoption and utilization.

Finally, KeyCare maintains a 24x7 Help Desk to support both patients and providers who may have any technical, workflow or other operational questions.

Through these extensive support and training measures, KeyCare establishes a strong partnership with health systems, providers and patients, in order to facilitate a successful

implementation and maximize the benefits of KeyCare’s virtual care solution.

Seamless Integration with Existing Health Systems

KeyCare offers seamless integration with existing health systems, ensuring a smooth patient experience and simplified provider interactions. When patients access the health system’s digital front door, they are presented with the option to connect with an independent licensed virtual care provider operating on KeyCare’s Epicbased platform. This is made possible through

Epic’s new Telehealth Anywhere functionality, enabling on-demand virtual care. And Book Anywhere, another new Epic functionality, allows for a health system’s schedulers to make scheduled appointments with providers working on KeyCare’s platform as well. By leveraging this integrated solution, patients can easily navigate from the health system’s digital front door to a variety of virtual care options with a provider that can help them in a coordinated manner.

Notably, this tight integration also simplifies the provider experience through bidirectional data sharing. KeyCare’s platform uses Epic’s built-

in Care Everywhere functionality to facilitate the exchange of data between the health system and the virtual care provider. This enables the virtual care providers to access necessary patient information, enhancing the quality of care by enhancing informed clinical decision-making at the point of care.

Protecting Patient Privacy

KeyCare prioritizes the protection of patient privacy by implementing robust measures for data security. Patient data, including Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable

Lyle Berkowitz, MD, CEO and Sara Ensey, Chief of Staff

Information (PII), is securely transferred using Care Everywhere from the health system to KeyCare’s instance of Epic and vice-versa. This transfer ensures that sensitive patient information is transmitted safely and remains protected during the exchange.

Once received, the patient data is stored within KeyCare’s Epic instance, which is hosted and maintained by Epic Hosting. This arrangement ensures that patient data remains secure within a trusted and reputable infrastructure. KeyCare adheres to strict privacy and security protocols to safeguard patient information and maintain compliance with applicable regulations, such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

Furthermore, any documentation generated by clinicians on KeyCare as part of patient care is also stored within KeyCare’s Epic instance. This consolidation of data within a single, secure system enhances data management and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access or breaches.

The KeyCare Team

“We are a purpose-driven company committed to improving the nation’s healthcare system and fostering a positive work environment,” says Lyle Berkowitz, MD. This commitment is demonstrated through six key behaviors that embody KeyCare’s values and drive success: providing genuine service to patients, providers, and partners; embracing a growth mindset; being agile, proactive, and creating value; using open discussions to make strong commitments; and maintaining resilience in a quickly moving world.

As a remote-first company, KeyCare is able to attract the best talent in the nation, while also encouraging local team members in Madison and Chicago to get together weekly to work in office space that has been set up for them. Monthly virtual all-company meetings are held to celebrate achievements, foster learning, and build a sense of community among the team. Additionally, KeyCare organizes an annual meeting in Chicago, providing an opportunity for all team members to connect, engage, share, and enjoy each other’s company.

Racing Ahead

KeyCare is growing quickly since it launched its services at the end of 2022, and has already provided care to patients from nearly every state in the nation. Patients benefit from round-the-clock availability of the KeyCare team, regardless of their location, ensuring continuous care while securely sharing their information with their home health systems. Similarly, KeyCare has assisted health systems in expanding their digital front doors, enabling them to fulfill their commitment to always being there for their patients.

Moving forward, KeyCare has plans to expand its Epic-based virtual care platform by incorporating additional virtual care specialties, with an immediate focus on adding therapists, psychiatrists and primary care support. This ongoing development aims to allow their health system partners the ability to further improve access and quality of care for their patients. KeyCare remains dedicated to its mission of improving healthcare access for all, while making a positive impact and driving positive change in the healthcare industry.

Rewriting the Rules of Commerce as Future Normal

John Gao, Corporate Vice President Software and Digital Technology, Henkel

From the retail shelf to an online shop and eventually to the multiverse? In the era of exponentially disruptive technological change, the dynamics of the markets are changing as fast as never before: products and services that are cutting edge one day are outdated the next. Not only the opportunity of selling to customers directly has changed retail forever, customers too, faced their own digital journey, which altered the course for in-demand shopping expectations,

proactive service, personalized interactions, and connected experiences across digital channels. To convince consumers, companies must not only deliver amazing marketing, sales, ecommerce, and service interactions, but also prove that they have the customers’ best interests in mind. While retail continues to lead for us as a consumer goods company, the demand for digital experiences with our brands is growing rapidly and disproportionately. That is why at Henkel we are following an

While retail continues to lead for us as a consumer goods company, the demand for digital experiences with our brands is growing rapidly and disproportionately

John Gao has been CTO of Henkel’s digital business since 2020. Before he has joined Henkel, he was CIO of ZF APAC, CIO of Schindler APAC, CIO of Schaeffler APAC, CIO of Bosch Rexroth APAC and Head of Application Development of Bosch Rexroth North America.

omnichannel strategy, covering both retail and digital commerce.

Everyone is Unique

One size fits all? That was yesterday. We are experiencing a social shift from the “we” to the “I” – because individualization and self-expression are very much in vogue. But

it is much more than “just” a trend. We are consciously aware of this cultural change, appreciate the diversity of society, and support people in expressing themselves. The message is: everyone is unique. And this rubs off on consumers’ behavior. The way of buying consumer goods has changed significantly. Historically, customers have

expected basics like quality service and fair pricing: We have gone to the store to buy our shampoo. Maybe we would have had eight different shampoos to choose from, we selected the one that fits our hair characteristics the most and that was it. Today, we witness a completely different consumer behavior. Consumers want to receive a hyper-personalized product, which

they can buy online and – ideally – get delivered to their home.

Hyper-Personalization – A Win-Win Situation?

Accordingly, companies are responding to this development and are addressing the needs of each individual instead of developing products and services for the masses. To address consumers personally and retain their loyalty in the long-term, companies are relying on the mega trend of hyper-personalization for their offerings. Research shows that the vast majority of consumers say a company’s understanding of

To address consumers personally and retain their loyalty in the long-term, companies are relying on the mega trend of hyperpersonalization for their offerings

their personal needs and expectations influences their loyalty. Direct-to-consumer concepts are a great help to own customer relationships and leverage available data. In the process of hyperpersonalization, artificial intelligence (AI) is

often used to analyze real-time data in order to uncover patterns and correlations in consumers’ shopping behavior and to create a holistic picture of them. For example, search queries, wish lists, and purchase history are analyzed. This

automated process enables what is known as oneto-one marketing, in which products, services, or content are tailored to specific customers and in detail. This allows a new level of personalization of products and experiences.

Best-In-Class Consumer Experience Across All Touchpoints

Digital content creators and social media influencers have gained a tremendous influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions. Given the gravitation shift we’ve experienced, consumers and customers are now even more in control of when, where and how they engage with products and brands. This requires not only a deep understanding of our consumers and customers but also outstanding experience delivery across all touchpoints. A study by McKinsey shows that 76 percent of consumers are more likely to consider purchasing from brands that offer personalized interaction points

along the customer journey. Everything is about the consumer experience – consisting of content, community and personalization. Companies who deliver 24/7 personalized, frictionless, digital content and services win the game. We support our retail partners grow their digital and social sales, working hand-in-hand to bring shared expertise to the table. However, following an omnichannel strategy, it is at least as important to drive our own digital commerce platforms and initiatives. Here, too, strategic partnerships are key. At Henkel, our digital business platform RAQN, which we’ve developed together with Adobe, helps us to rapidly respond to the new reality our consumers and customers are living in. It allows us to deliver hyper-personalized content and omni-channel experiences with the Consumer & Customer Intelligence (CQ) Engine at its core. CQ enables us to transform available data into consumer and customer profiles that update in real time and use AI-driven insights

In combination with personal interaction on site and the haptic experience of products and services, we can create a particularly valuable shopping experience that strengthens the bond between the brand and the customer

to deliver the right experiences across every channel. Currently, more than 81 brands and 285 Henkel websites worldwide run on our RAQN platform, one of which is for example Ask Team Clean, a community platform where consumers can interact with the community and henkel experts, share household tips, receive personalized content and product recommendations.

Bridging the Virtual and Physical World

Nevertheless, despite the ease and comfort of the virtual world and digital services, the digital environment will never fully replace the real world. Instead, we want the virtual world to be present in real life. That’s why the digital world needs technologies blending it with reality while at the same time meeting the consumers’ needs. Thus, creating a hybrid experience with the best of both worlds. But how can the same trend be adapted offline? Here, too, the use of AI is essential: digital experiences in the store offer another customer experience highlight. In combination with personal interaction on site and the haptic experience of products and services, we can create a particularly valuable shopping experience that strengthens the bond between the brand and the customer.

Creating a Unique Brand Experience

To give you an example: With the launch of the new Schwarzkopf Professional hair care brand SalonLab&Me, Henkel is addressing exactly this point. By combining hairdresser expertise with an

innovative digital experience, salon clients can receive hyper-personalized hair care that is customized to the needs of their hair. Additionally, a direct-to-consumer experience is combined with an in-salon experience, as customers can order their personalized hair care products through an online store that is exclusively linked to the salon. Based on the hair analysis with Henkel’s SalonLab Smart Analyzer the consumer does not only receive hyperpersonalized product recommendations but also customized hair care tips and advice from the community. Only with our digital business platform RAQN we were able to bring this new business model to life and get one step closer to the hair care of the future.

Just a Dream of the Future or Reality Soon?

Going one step further, in the (near) future I also see great potential in leveraging the opportunities of social commerce and synthetic reality. In Europe, this trend might still be at its infancy, but I envision AI to build a bridge to a synthetic reality, where data from the multiverse will upscale our daily lives in the digital and physical realm and deliver personalized experiences for individual consumers. That’s why aside from sustainability, our corporate venturing arm for consumer goods business called Henkel dx Ventures invests also in digital commerce including aspects like Conversational Commerce, Web 3.0, Social Commerce or P2P Platforms to make Henkel an even more future-proof company.

Safely2Prosperity Developing Innovative Infectious Disease Spread Risk Management Solutions

In 2022, the global healthcare IT market was approximately USD 140 billion and was projected to exhibit a CAGR of nearly 18% from 2023 to 2030. The growing trend of digitalization in healthcare, rising demand for preventive care solutions, the emergence of numerous startups, increasing strategic partnerships, and massive funding are fuelling this market growth.

To stay relevant and ahead of the game, many tech companies focus on applying their expertise to solve problems caused by the pandemic. On the other hand, traditional healthcare companies have turned their attention to technology and its potential to transform the delivery of their products and services.

Safely2Prosperity (S2P), a leading healthcare infectious-disease spread riskmanagement company, is taking a more integrated approach. The company is focusing more on interoperability, cloudbased platform, mobility, data intelligence, and other emerging technologies to develop cutting-edge solutions and make a positive impact by protecting lives and livelihoods. Under its CEO, Dr. Haden Land’s leadership, the company plans to expand beyond infectious disease risk management by investing in health and wellness, community portals, and the development of a pandemic/ preparedness safety standard. “It’s clear that the pandemic has accelerated the digitization

Dr. Haden Land, CEO/CTO

Dr. John Norris, Founder & Executive Chairman

Safely2Prosperity plans to expand beyond infectious disease risk management by investing in health and wellness, community portals, and the development of a pandemic/ preparedness safety standard

of the healthcare industry, and S2P is well positioned to be an enabler of this trend,” adds Haden.

The Inception Story

In 2019, Dr. John Norris founded Safely2Prosperity LLC because he identified a critical unserved need in his years as Principal Deputy Commissioner and COO of the U.S. FDA and teaching risk management at Harvard University. This enormous but heretofore unseen missing piece in the U.S. and the worldwide regulatory puzzle desperately needed a unique solution. He soon assembled an expert team of advisors at the top of their fields in healthcare, life sciences, risk management and response, knowledge management, education, and technology to develop a comprehensive risk-management solution platform that could keep people safe and organizations productive, especially during infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19. As a result, S2P was born with a mission to empower companies, governments, government agencies, schools, healthcare providers, and more to be ready for the viral threats of today and tomorrow.

Moving forward, S2P’s vision is to be recognized as a market leader in helping people, their colleagues, and organizations be less at risk from spreading infectious diseases and increasing their overall health and wellness. By combining its cutting-edge technology, safety standard, and expertise in workplace vaccinations, therapeutics, testing, quarantines, and exposure tracking, S2P empowers organizations to meet and surpass global health and safety benchmarks.

An Industry Stalwart Taking on New Charge

Haden is a cybersecurity and IT senior executive leader with forty years of professional experience. His substantive areas of expertise cover a broad spectrum of the needs of businesses and government agencies operating in national security and related industries. He is known for his exceptional senior executive leadership acumen with an unusual combination of profound technical expertise in numerous state-of-art technologies, which includes cloud computing, big data, cyber security, enterprise mobility, complex adaptive systems, engineering, IT assessments, R&D, enterprise architecture, business continuity/DR. He has domain knowledge in government, space, energy, law enforcement, transportation, finance, and healthcare. He has successfully performed in several C-Level positions, such as CEO/ CTO/CIO/CISO, and served on numerous boards as Chairman/Director/Trustee. Moreover, throughout his career, Haden has developed a reputation as one who can solve some of the most challenging problems around the globe. This has often been demonstrated, whether focused on technology/engineering implementation, research/development innovation, or management/leadership excellence.

When S2P Founder & Executive Chairman approached Haden to join the S2P Advisory Board, he couldn’t say no. Within six months of coming on board and after several highly visible accomplishments, he was offered the CEO & CTO position. The S2P vision, mission,

and objectives truly inspire him, and he believes they are critical for the U.S. and the entire world. He currently serves as CEO, CTO, and Advisory Board Member at S2P.

Tackling Challenges with Expertise, Passion, & Vision

When Haden took charge as the CEO at S2P, his immediate challenges were the need for an effective sales enablement plan and the necessary business automation systems to effectively target, qualify, convince, and close opportunities. There was also limited marketing collateral that effectively stated S2P’s value proposition. However, under his leadership and vision, the company quickly mitigated those challenges by defining and creating an exceptional start-tofinish sales enablement model and implementing a robust customer relationship management system. Additionally, the S2P team also initiated a series of market surveys to ensure the company focuses on the ideal client types and establishes a well-defined addressable market.

Furthermore, S2P’s Advisory Board needed some additional critical skills to better support the expansion and execution of the company’s business strategy. Since Haden became the CEO, S2P has onboarded three exceptional new board members, each with the critical expertise needed. Lastly, the S2P team acknowledges the potential of their Infectious Disease Management System (IDMS) platform and the fact that it delivers true business value and returns on investment.

“Our effective teamwork and dedication are successfully transforming S2P into a company that methodically approaches what we need to do, a remarkable achievement by any measure”, shares Haden.

Key Offerings

S2P’s powerful cloud-based software uses data intelligence to prepare for, predict and manage infectious disease threats. It also automates the procedures required to control a viral outbreak. Moreover, S2P integrates seamlessly with the client organization’s existing framework and is HIPAA/ADA compliant.

Apart from this, S2P’s innovative platform offers customizable analytics, including alarms, alerts, workplace, and regional trends, threats, and action lists. The platform can also be tailored as per the client’s requirements. Likewise, S2P leverages its SaaS infectious risk management and multiproduct dashboard to pair with customized vaccination, therapeutic, testing, and tracking technology packages. It also enables

easy access to organizational leaders, HR managers, and employees to monitor, track, and manage positive cases to reduce infectious disease spread. In addition, a considerable attention has been given while developing a mobile client version of the software solution that provides users all the key features necessary to execute functions and access status pertaining to themselves and/or their organization.

What Sets S2P Apart from Others?

S2P stands out from the crowd as the leading market player in reducing the risk of infectious diseases and promoting overall health and wellness for individuals, colleagues, and organizations. The company has also launched its customer beta and

Haden is a cybersecurity and IT senior executive leader with forty years of professional experience. His substantive areas of expertise cover a broad spectrum of the needs of businesses and government agencies operating in national security and related industries

value stream mapping program in the U.S. and India, aimed at optimizing its existing system capabilities to offer a market-proven solution by early 2Q2023.

Partner Benefits

S2P partners benefit from the company’s relentless focus on collaboration and teamwork. For instance, S2P is increasing its collaboration with its development partner, DICORP, to continually enhance its offering. It is also in the process of fielding its community portal for its client base.

Another benefit that S2P partners get is experiencing the company culture of being accountable, performance-oriented, strong

integrity, highly ethical, caring demeanor, impetuous passion, and bi-directional trust. Most importantly, the company also focuses on bringing quality attention to its teammates in various media engagements, from press releases, published articles, websites, community portals, marketing literature, and related initiatives.

ROI is Measured in the Number of Lives Saved

“S2P’s IDMS platform offers digital solutions to infectious diseases and health issues, allowing leaders to ensure the safety and productivity of their workforce during outbreaks through preparation, warning, and response,” shares Dr.

The S2P vision, mission, and objectives truly inspire Haden, and he believes they are critical for the U.S. and the entire world

John

Norris, Founder & Executive Chairman,

S2P. The department personnel continue to apply the system effectively to enable the coworkers to be safe and productive in running the business. Likewise, lawyers and companies remain comfortable with the liability exposure to enable the business to be carried out.

However, the most critical success factors that S2P focuses on in determining ROI is about saving lives, improving wellness, reducing errors, improving employee retention, sustaining productivity, avoiding lockdowns, being scalable/ flexible/configurable, providing alarms/ alerts, HIPAA/ADA compliance, providing a permanent record, helping businesses in decision-making, robust reporting, and data aggregation/validation/intelligence.

New Targets to be Achieved

At S2P, the key risk categories monitored are financial, customer, reputation, technical, talent, partners, and safety. A corporate risk register is maintained at the senior executive management level.

Hence, under Haden’s leadership, the new target about risk is as challenges surface or issues are brought forward, whether he identifies them or others do, he will always acknowledge their presence and then work with the team to mitigate them quickly, thoughtfully, and deeply.

Effective Marketing Strategies

S2P has a robust marketing and advertisement plan laid out for the entirety of 2023, leveraging numerous media channels. In addition, S2P’s

team is conducting a series of market surveys to further assess the quality and accuracy of its targeted addressable market segments being pursued. The company is also launching a new community portal to establish a collaborative environment for its customers, stakeholders, and other interested parties that share the common interests of best practices in pandemic preparedness and response and health and wellness.

Moreover, S2P has focused on which industries will most likely achieve the optimal ROI its solution can provide. Under Haden’s guidance, the company has created unparallel

high-quality, professional-grade sales and marketing collateral that effectively tells its story. Lastly, the company has defined an incredible sales enablement model enabled by its robust customer relationship management system.

Nurturing Integrity, Innovation, & Passion at Workplace

Right from the beginning, integrity and innovation were instilled in S2P’s culture and then sustained by recruiting to its team only highly skilled and reputable individuals who pledge to use their significant expertise to fulfill the company’s passion for saving lives

S2P’s powerful cloud-based software uses data intelligence to prepare for, predict and manage infectious disease threats. It also automates the procedures required to control a viral outbreak

and preventing other harm to employees and families caused due to infectious diseases. Hence, innovation, integrity, and passion remain crucial to the continuing success of S2P as it further enhances its solutions and services portfolio.

Global Expansion Plans

Currently, S2P’s market focus spans organizations in U.S., India, and Japan, as it has reseller networks established in these locations. The company is also in partnership discussions with a

proven global systems integrator with operations in over fifty countries. Furthermore, S2P is working with existing key partners to grow the visibility of its brand through creative marketing initiatives, develop pandemic preparedness/ response educational pathways, and expand its offerings to include a community portal, website storefront, and pandemic safety standard.

Regarding the bigger picture, S2P believes that by the end of this decade, its Infectious Disease Safety Program will be as ubiquitous worldwide as the Fire Safety Programs are now.

Data Governance Framework in 7 Steps

Ema Castellari, Data Governance & Analytics Project Manager, COA, Argentina

If you are part of an organization that handles large volumes of data and makes decisions with them but you are not sure what a data strategy is, what it is for, and how to start developing it, this article is for you!

I am going to tell you the main steps that will serve as a guide to implementing a Data Governance strategy that supports operational decisions for the benefit of compliance with the objectives of your organization.

1. Define the organization’s data strategy.

First of all, let’s define the word strategy: “a general plan to achieve one or more longterm or overall objectives under conditions of uncertainty”.

Now, refining the concept, a Data Strategy would be “the plan that allows us to make the most of the knowledge we have of our data, so that the decisions we make with them are the best, accurate, on time and with the expected quality”.

It is essential to define it based on the business goals, needs, and possibilities of the organization, for example, which one will be our Data Governance framework, if we’ll have specific tools, how’ll be the structure of the area in charge of carrying out these initiatives

Ema Castellari is a Data Governance & Analytics Project Manager at COA (Argentina) and Hiberus (Spain). She holds a degree in System Analyst from UTN, and has completed several postgraduate courses in BI and Data Governance. Her last certification was CDMP Practitioner Certified (Dama). ShehasworkedinBIforover15yearsin several industries such as retail, public administration, bank, etc, and started to work in Data Governance approximately 4 years ago supporting organizations to definetheirDataStrategythroughglobal Data Governance programs, managing them as strategic assets, promoting the democratization of information, in an end-to-end vision that includes the development of data in the complete life cycle, reducing costs and increasing their profits, ensuring optimal decisions, withquality,available,safe,andaccurate data. She considers herself as a true data lover!

It is essential to define it based on the business goals, needs, and possibilities of the organization, for example, which one will be our Data Governance framework, if we’ll have specific tools, how’ll be the structure of the area in charge of carrying out these initiatives. In short, define the “how to” work to promote and develop a “data culture” in the organization.

2. Data Management Maturity Assessment

To develop the work plan is necessary to establish a starting point that gives us clarity and a complete picture of how the organization works with data, the pain points, and the internal and external processes that involve data from its creation to its consumption, if

they compliment the expectations for which they were created, how is the security process, if it is understood what they mean, the level of confidence, if they are affected by regulations, in short, the strengths and weaknesses that the organization has with respect to its data that will allow us to identify the existing gaps and will be the driver of our project roadmap.

3. Identify and Prioritize Use Cases

This step is one of the most important steps in the whole process and must be based on the gaps and pain pots identified in the data assessment, they are levers to generate value through the objectives set and they define where to implement the actions. Is recommended that the first use cases should

be “quick wins” that will generate better visibility of the program and engagement of people in the next initiatives.

4. Elaborate a Project Roadmap

It is an action plan with a high-level view of the tasks and deliverables to be performed throughout the project that will be elaborated based on the defined data strategy and the identified and prioritized use cases, requiring an understanding of what needs to be done and how to do it.

5.

Define KPIs

“What is not defined cannot be measured. What is not measured cannot be improved. What is not improved, is always degraded.” (Lord Kelvin)

KPIs are used to synthesize information on the effectiveness and productivity of the actions carried out by the Data Governance program in order to be able to make decisions and determine those that have been most effective in meeting the objectives set in a particular process or project, and thus, to define a future course of action, correcting or maintaining the current way to work.

6. Implement the Data Strategy

Data Governance will be finally implemented through the identified use cases, these can range from governance programs with multiple use cases, to specific projects, according to the strategy defined by the organization, having as main axes

data life cycle, metadata, quality, security, and change management.

7. Change Management

All our actions must have change management as the main driver of the operational strategy because if we do not have the commitment of people, our actions won’t be successful and won’t last over time, and this is achieved by communicating, training, and involving all members of the organization.

These actions will lead us to develop the precious Data Culture that an organization needs to make the best decisions, meet its goals, and be successful.

It is an action plan with a high-level view of the tasks and deliverables to be performed throughout the project that will be elaborated based on the defined data strategy and the identified and prioritized use cases, requiring an understanding of what needs to be done and how to do it

Effective Communication in a Digital World

Rob Teel, Chief Technology Officer, State of Oklahoma (OMES)

Effective communication is an essential skill for leaders today, as it allows them to articulate their vision, motivate their teams, and build relationships with stakeholders. There are several reasons why communication is important for leaders. First, a leader must have clarity of vision. Leaders must communicate their vision clearly to their teams so that everyone understands the goals and objectives of the organization. This helps to align everyone’s efforts towards a common goal and ensures that everyone is working towards the same

objectives. Second, a leader must be able to motivate staff. Effective communication can help to inspire and motivate teams. Leaders who are able to communicate their passion and enthusiasm for their work can inspire others to work towards a shared vision. Third, a leader must work to build authentic relationships. Good communication skills are essential for building strong relationships with stakeholders, such as employees, customers, and suppliers. By communicating effectively, leaders can build trust and credibility with these groups, which can help to improve the overall performance of the organization. Fourth,

Leaders who are able to communicate the reasons behind the change, as well as the benefits and risks, can help to minimize resistance and ensure that the change is successful

Rob grew up in Los Angeles California and moved to Oklahoma where began his career in Cyber Systems Operations while serving on active-dutyU.S.AirForce.Hehasspent 25 years in diverse technology roles. He loves a good laugh, music, great food, volunteering for good causes and doing anything outdoors and high adventure that gets him away from a computer screen. Rob’s goal is to enable digital transformation across the state of Oklahoma and the world.

resolve conflicts professionally and with respect others. Conflicts can arise in any organization, and effective communication can help to resolve them quickly and efficiently. Leaders who are skilled communicators can facilitate productive discussions and negotiations, which can lead to better outcomes for everyone involved. Fifth, a leader must be able to effectively manage change. Communication is essential when implementing change within an organization. Leaders who are able to communicate the reasons behind the change, as well as the benefits and risks, can help to minimize resistance and ensure that the change is successful. Let’s explore some of the primary methods that leaders communicate with their team and organizations.

The Big Conference Call

One popular method for leaders to articulate their vision to a large organization is to hold big video conference calls where everyone connects and watches the leader give a speech. Most of the time this is a monologue which can be slightly enhanced by including a questions and answers segment in the chat where people can ask questions with their name displayed or they can remain anonymous. Depending on the size of the organization there will normally be a moderator or gate keeper that fields questions to the leader. The questions served up to the leader are all easy ones, and any difficult questions are answered politically and not actually addressed. If someone has the courage to not be anonymous and puts themselves out there by asking a hard question, the poor soul may end up having a manager or director swoop-in for the body slam.

The irony is almost comical after a leader insists, they have an open-door policy and tell you about culture and transparency and how you can come talk to them directly. All the people-managers wince when a leader says this because all it takes is one individual to send a poorly worded email or ask a difficult question and the negative ripple-effect can be severe. What normally happens is that everything is scripted, and people start scrambling when something goes off-script. Everyone involved and listening-in on the conference knows that it is scripted which causes people to instinctively tune-out. In the end, word gets out about the retribution to the person who asked the hard question, and it has a chilling effect on culture.

There are some exceptions such as, when a leader holds an “ask me anything” type call with little to no gatekeeping. It can be a useful way

If a Lean SixSigma trained professional were to do an analysis on how to be more efficient at emails, they would end up being ninth degree blackbelts

for a large organization to get to know a leader personally when everyone feels free to ask the same type of questions that one would ask over lunch or dinner. Questions such as “what’s your favorite sports teams and why?” or what do you like to do in your free time?” “What is your daily routine?” “Do you play any sports or video games?” This method can be especially effective if there is an opportunity for people to get-toknow managers, supervisors, and leaders in other departments. In a healthy organization with good leaders, everyone should already know this kind of information about their leadership, but this is not so easy across departments.

Sharing personal information has a twopart impact on leadership. First, it forces them to open-up, be sincere and connect in a meaningful way with the people they lead. When a leader truly connects with people the impact on culture is transformational. Second, in large organizations it humanizes the masses who run the risk of becoming depersonalized “headcount.” Many leaders will shy away from these types of meaningful connections because they see it in the same way a Cattle Rancher might in naming their cows. It just makes it more difficult to take Betsy and Matilda to the stockyards when they can just be nameless headcount; livestock sold at a price per pound when it comes to a reduction in force. This may touch a nerve for many leaders who think they must make “tough” personnel and “performance” decisions as part of their job description. This topic is discussed much more succinctly in Simon Sinek’s book entitled “Leaders Eat Last.” The book opens with some information about the United States Marine Corps and a story about a United States Air

Force A-10 Warthog pilot flying a mission in Afghanistan. The account of this mission and the remaining contents of the book will help the leader redefine what it means to be “tough” and measure “performance.”

Email Blasts for More Than 10-20 People

Emails…The bane of our existence. Long gone are the days when email communications were only for IT departments. Professionals and students in any field must work with more and more emails daily. When someone is working through hundreds of emails per day it seems that those who chose a blue-collar trade were the smart ones. How many emails do carpenters, electricians and truck drivers answer a day? One might argue that they don’t make as much money as the computer screen worshipers but think again. There is an ancient saying, “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance (and too many emails) permits them no sleep.”

The point here is not that we should be luddites but that there is a line to be drawn in the sand somewhere with the number of emails sent and received daily. A good barometer is a task-based message to 10 people, or the project teams a person is working with directly. A quick scroll through anyone’s inbox will reveal dozens if not hundreds of emails that have information that is mostly unusable. The advent of Instant Messaging via Microsoft Teams or Slack has helped some because it allows people to include emojis and gifs to more effectively convey tone and to be more direct and conversational. Email blasts to large groups trying to convey a personal, cultural or emotional message are rarely effective. Some informational email

blasts can be quite useful for example, a message saying the office is closed for the holiday or who won the chili-cookoff. Some of this is personal preference and the key to good email communication is to know the cumulative personal preferences of your teams. “A new culture-building approach is already in place at some organizations, one in which everyone in the organization is responsible. Importantly, this model doesn’t relegate culture-building to an amorphous concept that everyone influences but no one leads or is accountable for. Shared responsibility for culture throughout an organization involves different people and functions within the organization playing different roles in developing and maintaining the culture.” (Yohn 2021).

If a Lean Six-Sigma trained professional were to do an analysis on how to be more efficient at emails, they would end up being ninth degree blackbelts. Their first initiative would probably be to remove the reply-all button. Some of these email strings are like watching the same 25 car pileup video over and over again. Whether you start from the top of a message and work down or scroll to the bottom and work up it can be mined numbing especially when there is finger-pointing. Somewhere around the 3rd reply, it becomes clear that using typed words to communicate is almost completely useless and it occurs to no one that they can pick up the phone and call, start a virtual meeting or even better, go to the persons office or bring the team into a conference room for an in-person work session. If these kinds of emails are what you deal with most of the day, it’s no wonder you’re stressed out. One recommendation is to take a ten-minute break

and watch RC Plane crash compilation videos. There is a mysterious connection between the time wasted on emails and watching beautiful RC planes with thousands of hours and dollars poured into them crash to the earth. A close second might be Domino Fails though not quite as expensive as an RC plane, the time to setup the dominos is probably equal. It’s all about preferences so if watching crashing RC planes and Domino Fails is not your idea of a mental break then pick your poison. Message me with your go-to 10-minute stress reliever.

If you must use emails, then make them transactional yet personal and for sharing information although document sharing, and workflows have been replaced by file sharing and tools. The idea is that your emails should be personal, fun, and concise. If fun is not allowed at your office or is not your personal preference, then practicing gratitude helps and will help you and others around you relax and smile more.

Email is not a document management system, enterprise resource planning system (ERP), customer relationship management system (CRM) or an IT Service Management System (ITSM) or any other Line of Business Application. Any attempts to use it for these purposes creates chaos. It is also a tool that has effective limits for mass communication, to build personal relationships, lead, create, influence, and sustain company culture.

Effective communication is a critical skill for leaders in today’s fast-paced business environment. It allows them to articulate their vision, motivate their teams, build relationships with stakeholders, resolve conflicts, and manage change.