The COVID crisis has accelerated the adoption of cloud services for organisations and industry sectors alike, and to this end we have several articles in this issue of the newsletter that focus on digital transformation. First, Cegedim Healthcare Solutions’ IT Director, Mike Collier and Primary Care Product Director, Tony Thorne discuss the role of suppliers in realising the NHS’ Cloud First strategy. As they explain, “The acceleration in digital transformation that has occurred throughout the NHS during the past 12 months has challenged perceptions and addressed many legacy technology constraints. The use of the cloud, for example, enabled 111 calls in London to be handled by a team in Newcastle when London resources were overwhelmed; and anytime, anywhere access to shared patient records has been vital in supporting COVID-19 vaccination clinics.”

Herbert Lörch, Regional Vice President, Western Europe, M-Files also believes that “The enormous impact of the coronavirus crisis on digitisation must now be directed into the right channels,” and in his article this issue he outlines how intelligent content services can deliver much-needed information management for businesses that have experienced rapid digital transformation as a result of the pandemic.

We also hear from Oliver Wallington, Head of Business Development at Wireless Logic, on how remote working during the past year has acted as a catalyst for the adoption of SD-WAN. “Traditional WAN is becoming less prevalent due to its limitations in cloud environments, which can often hinder an organisation’s growth capabilities,” according to Oliver. “As a result, companies are deciding to refresh their WAN and increasingly considering SD-WAN as a solution for a variety of reasons, in line with (post-COVID) longer term requirements for managing distributed operations and employees across a wide area network.”

Finally this month we’re pleased to announce that nominations for the 2021 Network Computing Awards have now opened, with our traditionally non-virtual awards ceremony planned for 14th October. You can make your nominations for the solutions and providers that you believe are most worthy of recognition for their work in the past year by visiting the awards website.

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