Atea challenges and inspires new opportunities
During the coronavirus pandemic, IT company Atea has provided support with chatbots, enabled airlocks in healthcare, increased digital learning and provided communication tools for Swedish businesses. Creativity has never been more important, and technology companies have a great opportunity to show the way, says Atea.
Atea provides digital solutions and IT products to public sector organizations and private companies, many in mission-critical functions. Initially, Atea's role in the pandemic was very much about enabling remote learning and working, but the company can also play another important role for customers. Carl-Johan Hultenheim, CEO of Atea, explains how the company views its responsibilities.
- As a company, we want to challenge organizations and help them take the next step forward. In times of crisis, it is especially important to be brave and as a major partner to the public sector, we can make a difference together with healthcare, schools and others.
Atea's corporate culture is very much about practicing what you preach, and this has been embraced during the corona crisis. It is about developing new offerings, creating inspiring digital meeting places and giving of your time outside of work.
- We are a value-driven company and want to support businesses with heart and brain in their digital transformation regardless of the conditions. Quite simply, we want to build a better Sweden. Right now, all employees can come up with suggestions for things we could help with," says Carl-Johan Hultenheim.
Atea has offices all over Sweden and during the corona crisis has run many initiatives together with the local community. In northeastern Skåne, for example, Atea has started a collaboration with Länsförsäkringar Göinge-Kristianstad that aims to facilitate contact between the elderly and their relatives. Together with the insurance company, the aim is to reduce loneliness in nursing homes by equipping tablets with a user-friendly communication solution.
- The solution makes it easier for older people to maintain contact with their relatives, and video calls increase the sense of closeness. "By working with so many great partners, we can benefit in many different areas," says Carl-Johan Hultenheim.
Schools were one of the first sectors of society to rapidly adapt to digital collaboration tools. At the same time, it is important not only to look at what is necessary but also to dare to look ahead. To challenge what is possible with digital teaching at a distance, Atea has, among other things, allowed 450 people to participate in a digital woodwork lesson that was broadcast live from Umeå.
- It's amazing how creative we get in a situation like this. Doing woodwork remotely stands out and the response from the participants was very positive. After we organized the digital woodworking lesson, we received requests from other schools and woodworking associations to do something similar with them, says Carl-Johan Hultenheim.
What has become clear during the coronavirus crisis is that it is not technology that sets the limits of what is possible, but how well we link it to the benefits. Many situations that have arisen due to the virus have proven to be solvable with digital tools.
- By sharing good examples, we can inspire each other to see new opportunities during and after the pandemic. All of us who work with technology have the opportunity to contribute to society in different ways and thus cover up right now," says Carl-Johan Hultenheim.