In his keynote address, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella praises the companies response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many medical institutions praise Microsoft’s effort in helping with the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of tech companies are working on various aspects of the pandemic.
Some are working on contact tracing while some are using data analytics to find a cure. During his keynote, Nadella says:
“I’m proud of how all you have raised the game and been there when the world needed you the most. Already, we’ve seen something like two years’ worth of digital transformation in just two months.”
Microsoft’s effort
Microsoft is seeing quite a surge in terms of usage of its Team’s conferencing software. The company reports that more than 75 million people are using the platform daily. That is an increase of about 70% within just two months.
Microsoft is also working with a number of organizations dealing with cloud computing. One such organization is the Folding@home project. The project asks users to install software that allows researchers to tap their machine’s computing power.
Microsoft reports that because of the pandemic, people are slowly adopting cloud technologies. The tech giant adds that academic institutions, governments, and hospitals are adopting its technologies.
Microsoft is working on a health bot that a number of hospitals are using in their COVID-19 triage. The bot works as a screening protocol that asks potential patients testing questions. Microsoft also provides a platform for virtual doctors.
Tech’s response to COVID-19
The tech community is among the most active respondent to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tech giants like Google and Apple are also working on contact tracing apps.
Some governments are also working on their own COVID-19 contact tracing apps. There are also some that work alongside tech companies in developing such apps.
Singapore and South Korea report a positive result when using contact tracing apps. The two Asian countries have flattened their curve. Some countries are adopting the same strategy.
Recently, Apple and Google release their contact tracing app embedded on their respective operating systems. Despite the effort, there are still a number of criticism about these apps. Most prominent of these are about privacy and data security concerns.
Regulators point out that these apps are accessing user data and GPS locations. There are also questions about how these apps treat user data.
Generally speaking, tech companies are responding to COVID-19 pandemic. However, the main question is how these tech companies treat user data and privacy.
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