Firms says it is offering its employee safety software to any company looking to track the potential exposure of their workers to the coronavirus.

Today, any company, organization, or authority can get free access to the Safeture software platform to have their employees’ travel matched with those hot spot locations most impacted by the virus. Safeture can import trip data from travel agencies plus get real-time location data from mobile phones to be analyzed against with real-time updates of the virus’s location. This is especially important for large international companies, which carry an extra high exposure risk. All employees will get access to Safeture’s app to get real-time alerts and notifications.

“Right now we are at a critical stage for the coronavirus, and it is crucial companies identify employees who have been in high-risk areas so they can contain the infection and prevent it from spreading into the organization,” said Magnus Hultman, CEO of Safeture. “The situation is changing rapidly. From today Iran and areas in Italy, suddenly completely different places in other countries can be affected.

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Register for your free trial @ https://www.safeture.com/

 

AR firm says service firms affected by virus can use tool free of charge during trial-period.

Augmented reality company XMreality is offering firms impacted by Covid-19 free use of its Remote Guidance Service tool for an extended trial period.

 

Remote Technical Suppport

As the knock-on effect of the virus hits travel logistics - an essential strand of service delivery - experts who take up the offer can effectively provide technical support remotely without having to leave the office or home.

"Being able to provide swift and efficient technical support to customers or colleagues is crucial to the competitiveness of businesses and, in some cases, even for keeping vital infrastructure working," a press release accompanying the announcement read. "XMReality has now decided to help those companies whose operations have been affected by travel restrictions. The solution is already used in over 40 countries, including China. Accessibility is maximized because the recipient does not need any special hardware or software to receive instructions. All you need on site is a mobile phone with internet connection."

Commenting, Johan Castevall, CEO at XMReality said the company were happy to offer assistance during these difficult times for the service industry: “We are pleased to be able to help in a crisis. “We can see that a large number of companies are being hit hard by the effects of the Coronavirus, so we want to support them and facilitate their operations.” 

XMReality's announcement joins others in the service sector who are offering free use of their tools during the pandemic including Augmentir and ServiceMax. The software outfit are allowing new customers to access their real-time communication platform Zinc free of change for three months.

 

More information about XMReality's offer can be found here.

Communication Platform offered free of charge to new customers for three months as CEO says real-time communications can play key role in current situation.
ServiceMax's Neil Barua believes real-time communication will be the key to firms tackling the effect of Corona Virus and has made Zinc, their real-time communication platform available free, for three months to new users.

Travel

Speaking to Field Service News, the firm's CEO said the current situation is affecting how their end-users get to jobs, a key strand of service delivery and challenging their traditional service delivery model. "Our customers are dependent on being able to travel and visit customer sites," he says, "They are having to be flexible on how to accommodate service requests with their teams, creating opportunities for virtual trouble shooting and training of end users."

For end-users trying to satisfy pressurised service requests while adhering to constantly changing guidance from authorities and government, means now more than ever, firms need to be flexible and dynamic. Neil believes if firms are to prosper then clear communication channels will play a significant role. "As it is a constantly evolving situation, it is imperative that field teams have direct lines of communication across the service delivery chain to best serve customers in real time." 

In an effort to enhance connectivity during this time ServiceMax have announced the use of their own real-time communication platform, Zinc, which will be made available free of charge for three months for new users. "We know that our customers have important information to share," Barua said of the decision. "Employees need answers, reassurance and connectedness. We all need to work together and support each other in getting through these unique times safely."

SeviceMax's Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Stacy Epstein, will be part of our panel at Field Service News' Covid-19 Emergency Symposium which takes place online this Friday (20 March GMT), which you can sign-up for here.

AI-powered smart video solution can intelligently capture and classify video according to the severity of driving events.

Verizon Connect Integrated Video uses artificial intelligence (AI) to intelligently capture and automatically classify video according to how severe an event is, showing only what is relevant and important to business owners and operations managers, as well as machine learning to help businesses improve driver behaviour and protect the bottom line. Verizon Connect Integrated Video also provides real data insights to help commercial drivers stay safe on the road and protect them against false claims.

Additional features include a speed Overlay, which enables operations managers to easily view the speed of the vehicle directly within the video clip to determine if speed is the factor that caused the event; and Video on Demand, which allows operations managers to request 40-second increments of available footage.

"Delivering our commitment to customers means creating innovative solutions, powered by the latest technology that helps our customers move their business forward,” said Derek Bryan, vice president EMEA, Verizon Connect. “We’re delivering next-level solutions, powered by advanced AI and machine learning to help our customers be safe, productive and efficient all over the world.

 

Project to be facilitated by Noventum Service Management and will focus on service-business models.

HSO has announced a research project with Microsoft to look into future service-business models.

The project will hone in on digitilasation as an enabler for new business models and how it affects increasing customer demands.
To enhance their findings research partner Noventum are looking for feedback from the service sector on the topic and have created a survey for participants to contribute, which you can do here. Those who take part will receive a full report of the project's findings.

Microlise, the telematics and transport management solutions provider announces the acquisition of TruTac Ltd.

 

TruTac is the leading UK provider of fleet compliance and management software for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) and Public Service Vehicle (PSV).

 

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed and as part of the acquisition, TruTac will remain an independent company as part of the Microlise Group. The acquisition underscores Microlise’s ongoing commitment to forge new partnerships and opportunities to increase product and service innovation to support its international customer base in the UK, France, India, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. 

   

Microlise, headquartered in Nottingham, is the UK’s market leader of telematics and transport technology products, with over 500,000 connections around the world. Its Fleet Performance, Journey Management, Planning & Optimisation and Proof of Delivery products are used by fleet operators while its solutions are also successfully deployed by OEM partners including MAN Truck & Bus UK, JCB and Tata Motors in India.

 

Founded in 1990 and operating throughout the UK and Ireland, TruTac has successfully established itself as the leading designer and provider of fleet compliance software for HGV and PSV operators.  Its online product suite allows operators and transport managers to simplify and streamline tachograph and compliance management via one easy-to-use portal. TruTac’s range of products helps clients to protect their Operators Licence, reduce risk, increase fleet efficiency and reduce administration costs.

 

Nadeem Raza, Microlise’s Chief Executive Officer said: “We are delighted to announce this acquisition and we welcome the TruTac team to Microlise. This union strengthens our presence in both the HGV and PSV sectors, and complements our group offering of real-time fleet management systems to enable smarter and more accurate operational decisions. We have identified strong synergies between the businesses, particularly across the development of new products and services. We look forward to actively pursuing our ongoing mutual success.”

 

Terry Ramsey, Managing Director of TruTac added: “I am proud of everything TruTac has achieved in becoming the UK’s compliance software market leader and this is great news for both old and new HGV and PSV customers. Microlise and TruTac are guided by the same ethos and passion for transport and this union is a positive one. Combining our expertise will deliver greater customer and partner value across the commercial and passenger transport industries. I look forward to accelerating the development of new products and services and to entering new markets with a strengthened and complementary fleet management offering.”

Augmentir have announced free use of its Remote Assistance Tool for front line workers to help companies address travel and social distancing issues around pandemic.

Augmentir have announced the free use of its Remote Assist support and collaboration tool for the remainder of 2020 to help industrial companies address the growing workforce and supply chain disruption created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Employee Health a Priority

As Covid-19 continues to spread across North America, the CDC has suggested that businesses implement remote work policies and travel restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus. The situation has become more troublesome over the past few weeks, and many companies are looking for ways to help limit business disruptions while keeping the health of employees a top priority, influencing Augmentir's decision.

Russ Fadel, Co-Founder and CEO of Augmentir, said, "COVID-19 is impacting the lives of people all around the world, and is forcing a change to the way we work. At Augmentir, the health and safety of our employees, as well as the employees of our customers and partners is the Company's top priority. Therefore, in a response to COVID-19, Augmentir will be offering its Remote Assist tool at no cost through the end of 2020 in an effort to help the many businesses affected by the sudden increase in work-from-home policies and travel restrictions resulting from the global outbreak of the virus. We hope to curb the predicted impact this virus will have on industrial companies and will remain steadfast in our commitment to serving the industry we call home." 

During this challenging time, video-conferencing, chat, and remote support and collaboration will be more important than ever in maintaining the wellbeing of employees while also enabling people to continue to work and businesses to operate. Augmentir's Remote Assist tool helps to minimize the negative impact that COVID-19 is having on businesses by providing a remote collaboration and support solution that can be adopted in less than 60 minutes, so that workers, technicians, and customers can get the support they need to do their jobs without compromising health, safety, or productivity.

Companies that sign up will have free use of the tool for the remainder of 2020, will be able to: stream live video and audio to remote experts to improve issue resolution and remote knowledge sharing; guide field technicians and customers with live annotations for enhanced collaboration and support remote users on their existing devices as well as AR-enabled smart glasses.

Commenting on the company's decision, Russ Fadel, Co-Founder and CEO of Augmentir, said, "COVID-19 is impacting the lives of people all around the world, and is forcing a change to the way we work. At Augmentir, the health and safety of our employees, as well as the employees of our customers and partners is the Company's top priority. Therefore, in a response to COVID-19, Augmentir will be offering its Remote Assist tool at no cost through the end of 2020 in an effort to help the many businesses affected by the sudden increase in work-from-home policies and travel restrictions resulting from the global outbreak of the virus. We hope to curb the predicted impact this virus will have on industrial companies and will remain steadfast in our commitment to serving the industry we call home."

Leading cybersecurity specialists and decision makers from all over Europe gathered in Helsinki, Finland on to discuss what the new 5G technology means to cybersecurity, digital infrastructure and user-centric services.

The forum’s keynote speakers included leading global experts of the field such as Jakub Boratyński from the European Commission, Steve Purser from ENISA and Timo Harakka, Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, and The National Cyber Security Centre Finland operating as part of Traficom arranged the event. Traficom is a modern wide-scoped agency, which promotes the transport system and traffic safety, and boosts digitalization and trusted digital services. Traficom supports sustainable development and ensures that everyone in Finland has access to high quality, secure and reasonably priced communications connections and services.

Safeguarding the future digital society and working on 5G cybersecurity form one essential part of Traficom's cutting-edge future-oriented work on improving via innovation. It focuses on the phenomena of the digital society, seeks solutions, builds networks and helps companies and other authorities to prepare for the future. "Changing the future of the society starts from vision and courage, and it starts today", says Kirsi Karlamaa, the Director-General of Traficom.

The forum was preceded by the world’s first open 5G cyber security hackathon where 70 cybersecurity specialists and whitehat hackers from 15 different countries got a chance to test their skills on 5G technology provided by Ericsson, Nokia and Oulu University.

Traficom in the driver´s seat reinforcing the collaborative work across borders

Finland and Traficom as a visionary authority received praises for progressing and initiating the work focusing on 5G cybersecurity during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2019. Mr Jakub Boratyński, Head of Unit for Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy from the EU Commission presented the EU Toolbox for 5G cybersecurity and emphasized Finland´s proactive role in the EU work around 5G cybersecurity.

This decade will see the expansion of 5G-based services and infrastructure, and cooperation between different players developing the fifth-generation wireless communication technology is essential. The first ever Leading Edge 5G Forum organized in Helsinki draw together companies, cybersecurity influencers and industry members, EU representatives and authorities, academics and members of the cybersecurity community to discuss the future opportunities and challenges concerning 5G.

There´s a need for the next collaborative actions on 5G cybersecurity across EU

"The Leading Edge 5G Forum indicated that there is a strong will within the community and industry to share experiences and discuss the future of 5G and cybersecurity. Going forward, Traficom will continue this cooperative work with all stakeholders and organize discussions where exchange of ideas is possible", says Kalle Luukkainen, the Deputy Director-General of The National Cyber Security Centre Finland.

- We initiated this work but our vision is that going forward the cyber security hackathons and the Leading Edge 5G Forum could be a collaborative European wide activity. Therefore, we challenge all interested parties to get in touch with us and to join the effort of putting together the next cooperative actions and a cyber security hackathon in 2021. Our common aim is to safeguard the future digital society.

5G has to be built on trust

Building digital trust globally, strengthening the existing ecosystem and focus on end-to-end thinking were recurring themes in the keynotes and presentations heard during the event. Forum speakers also emphasized that 5G is designed to be more secure than its predecessors and cybersecurity has received a massive focus in 5G’s development. However, there is work to be done as the diversity and volume of novel IoT devices and their control systems will continue to increase and pose a new kind of security and privacy risks and additional threat vectors as we move to 5G and beyond.

As the impact of Corona Virus grows in the service sector, key voices from the industry offer comment and advice on the current situation.

The last 72 hours have seen significant changes across the globe as the effect of Corona Virus (Covid-19) begins to take hold. Restrictions at borders, regional lock downs and a decrease in product demand are affecting the service sector.

EXTRAORDINARY TIMES 

We are operating in extraordinary times and as well as acting in the now we should also look to the future, Bill Pollock explains. "Today, we are all experiencing a global medical 9/11," he says. "However, as in the past, life goes on, business goes on, and service must go on, as well. Yet, the brunt of this need will first be manifested in the immediacy, as businesses of all types struggle to follow the pandemic recommendations - either mandatory, or voluntarily but once the pandemic becomes contained and controlled, the post-pandemic aftermath will likely require an even greater response from services organizations of all types."

The current situation will inevitably be a challenging one for all service directors, most of whom will never have experienced a period like this and it does provide the opportunity to thrive in the most testing of environments. Yet, first and foremost the wellbeing of staff, remains the key focus. “The safety and health is your first priority," urges Nick Frank from Si2 Partners and Head of the UK Service Community. "Then be positive and use the situation to find new ways of solving customer problems.” It's a sentiment echoed by Pollock. "The thing to remember is that service will always be required; and service organizations will always need to be innovative, responsive and cooperative in all they do moving forward."

As the situation develops service professionals will have to draw on theses values to succeed in what will be one of the most challenging periods of their careers.