Microsoft CEO Praises Yorktel’s Innovative Use of Microsoft Technology

For many organizations, the global pandemic has acted as an unforeseen springboard forcing the advancement of remote collaboration & video communications. The downside is that with the rush of this there are regular horror stories being told about this transition, the technology and how painful it was for many organizations to implement quickly.

That’s why hearing Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella specifically mention the work Yorktel was able to accomplish in helping organizations with this transition & leveraging technology during the pandemic really stands out.

 

Applause from Microsoft CEO

You can read more about what Nadella said in this CRN article but he starts out by saying, some of the approaches Yorktel and other channel partners have taken in leveraging Microsoft’s technology during the pandemic are “pretty stunning,”.

“These are the types of partners doing hard work in communities that needed solutions in a constrained world of COVID, and it was fantastic to see that,” Nadella said, in an interview with CRN.

Nadella pointed out that Yorktel’s assistance with the implementation of Teams in COVID-19 isolation units for some medical organizations has let patients and doctors, as well as patients and families, effectively communicate while separated throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Before the pandemic

Taking a step back though, let’s talk about the example being discussed in that article. Even before the emergence of COVID-19, that medical center had embarked on plans to update to a more powerful and comprehensive collaboration solution so as to continue delivering world-class care to its patients.

Then COVID-19 hit & the need for improved communications went from a priority to “we need this tomorrow”. This forced everyone to jumpstart the modernization initiative, speeding deployment up by two years, estimated Jeremy Short, Yorktel’s senior vice president of Microsoft solutions.

Standardizing on Microsoft collaboration

After Yorktel conducted a successful on-site trial of Microsoft technology, the medical center dropped plans for migration to other collaboration systems, then partially underway. The center decided to hire Yorktel immediately for organization-wide standardization on tools like Microsoft Teams, Office 365, Teams Room Systems, Teams Calling, and Microsoft Surface Hubs.

Beyond brand new requirements for connecting office facilities to business employees unexpectedly working at home, the center also recognized a need to address the impact of the pandemic on patient care and on-site and remote medical staff.

Yorktel quickly installed more than 40 Microsoft Teams Rooms devices and 30 Microsoft Surface Hub V2’s for the C-suite offices and conference rooms. Surface Hubs were also installed inside exam rooms as well as in COVID-19 isolation units.

From directly within an exam room, doctors and nurses can use tools like Office 365 collaboration and 3D whiteboarding to share medical exam results, images, and 3D treatment “journeys” with patients and remote colleagues in real-time.

Meanwhile, patients temporarily isolated due to COVID-19 have been consistently staying in touch with their doctors and families through Microsoft’s state-of-the-art video conferencing and meeting technology.

Tons of other organizations benefit from Teams, too

In October of 2020, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Teams’ total number of active users had soared to 115 million, up from just 32 million at the start of the pandemic.

Then, in April of 2021, Microsoft’s Jeff Teper tweeted as follows: “Microsoft Teams now (has) 145 million daily active users. Thank you to customers, partners, team.”
Industry studies demonstrate that organizations are gaining a wide range of cost benefits from connected communications systems. These run the gamut from greater worker productivity to reduced IT management costs, more effective employee recruitment, better globalization support, and the chance to emerge from technical debt for legacy systems and processes.

The future is now

Microsoft Teams calling and meeting solutions now let workers meet anytime and anywhere, boosting their abilities to perform their jobs and spurring productivity. Tools are flexible, multifaceted, and easy to use for business and medical staff alike.

At the same time, many organizations (like the one mentioned above) are able to drastically lower costs for third-party tools and vendor management while maintaining the bulk of their previous investments in infrastructure.

Why choose Yorktel for your digital transformation?

Yorktel is a global MSP with strong pedigrees in collaboration, IT systems integration, and security. Over the past 30 years, we’ve evolved far beyond our initial roots in AV while maintaining video conferencing as one of our deep specializations.

Whether or not your company has begun to launch its own communications modernization initiative, Yorktel has the right expertise to provide you with leading-edge consultation, management, and implementation services tailored to the specific needs of your organization.