We are the Outsiders…

With a Fresh Perspective

Happy New Year! While it might not immediately seem like it is appropriate to call 2021 a “happy” one, I am optimistic that 2021 will be a better year than the crazy one we just experienced.  

There is so much for us to have hope for. Obviously, we can hope that the vaccine roll-out will be efficient and timely, and that widespread vaccination will lead to a more “normal” life where we can once again gather in-person safely, and where the COVID-19 virus no longer poses an imminent threat to our health.

I am also hopeful for continued innovation and open-mindedness to trying new things. I have long believed that the “status quo” is not acceptable, and that “doing something the way it’s always been done” is not a great long-term strategy. That becomes even more true during the pandemic: those who have failed to innovate and “pivot” to a new way of doing business that suits our new reality have fallen behind. That’s not to say that this hasn’t been a challenging year, but now more than ever it is important to innovate and embrace technology as a strategic advance in whatever business vertical you are in. In Jean-Nicolas Reyt’s article, “What Canada’s Top CEOs Think About Remote Work,” it was refreshing to see that so many CEOs are now seeing the benefit to remote work and considering what the workforce of tomorrow might look like. While reading “Industry 4.0,” I was intrigued by Andrew Finkle’s vision for the “factory of the future” that provides users with more customization and options than ever before. And, inspired by CompuVision’s own Cara Bedford’s story, I hope to see healthcare organizations across Canada embrace technology as a way of keeping patients and loved ones better connected and comforted. 

Even in a post-pandemic world, I hope that we never forget the lessons learned during these challenging times. We’ve all become a little more resilient and a little more innovative. We’ve all had a chance to experience what the future of work could look like if we embrace remote work and the technologies that make it possible. We’ve had the opportunity to explore rapid innovation and creative solutions to timely challenges. Imagine if we worked this openly all the time.

Of course, this pandemic has made also made us realize that our health needs to be a priority. While fitness resolutions are always common this time of year, I imagine that many of us will make even more of a commitment to our health and wellness in 2021. We are pleased to feature the team at Plantiga in this issue; their work on remote health monitoring has been at the forefront of monitoring and understanding athlete health for years, and I am keen to see it expand into the consumer market. If it’s good enough for Olympian sprinter Andre De Grasse, it’s good enough for me.

Take care of yourselves.

Ryan Vestby, CEO, CompuVision