The SARS-COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives and health of millions of people around the world. To meet recommendations of WHO and local regulations, CGI Inc. has temporarily closed its offices worldwide. For a month now, we have been remotely supporting our clients and partners in their daily activities. As a leading IT company, we were prepared to adapt to these circumstances and deliver to our clients.
In such challenging times, we can see more clearly the role of companies and their impact on societies. As the largest IT and business consulting services firm in the world, we are able to help people and businesses that need support in these uncertain times.
I am sure that technology can change the world for the better, which is why our experts work very hard to meet our customers’ expectations. We constantly emphasize our mission and values. Through our local teams in over 400 locations in 40 countries, all of our professionals and consultants are committed to helping communities where we all live. In Poland, we are working very closely with the front line warriors who are delivering critical public health and safety services. We are highly involved in helping our local communities through the following activities.
If you know someone that could benefit from our actions, let me know. We are happy to help.
Support for school students and children from orphanages
In Poland, home quarantine is affecting all the students. In cooperation with One Day Foundation, our Warsaw office denoted over 50 computers for children who have not previously had access to their own device. To make remote learning easier for the students, we installed Windows 10 software that configured applications to support remote working effectively. We also donated 20 computers for the underprivileged children to one of Warsaw's primary schools.
Computers for doctors
At the onset of the COVID-19 spread in Europe, our employees in Estonia donated computer equipment to the physicians. It provided the necessary access to the mobile equipment in the hospital and other health facilities.
Charity
In Lithuania, we organized a fundraising event called "Keep on going, Doctors - Laikykitės, medikai". Thanks to the efforts of our employees, we managed to raise almost 4500 euros, which will be used for the purchase of PPE (personal protective equipment).
Help for schools and students
Closing down schools in France meant difficulties accessing the teaching materials. CGI launched the OpenNet solution that enabled 2 million children to learn from home and helped over 1700 schools adapt to innovative ways of teaching.
Purchase of protective equipment
CGI in India launched the GiveIndia program, through which essential kits (food supplies and personal care items) were donated to families whose livelihood has been impacted by the pandemic. The health and safety of health care workers are very important to us. Our employees in Norway have developed simple instructions for the production of 3D face shields. For one of our clients in the USA, we have created a new version of the application that allows doctors to order food to hospitals at the end of their shift.
New solutions in the fight against the virus
However, our activities are not limited to material assistance. We support government institutions in a wide range of their daily activities. For the Montreal Heart Institute located in Canada, we have created a platform that allows experts to monitor and analyze the results of the clinical trials of the drugs on SARS-COVID-19.
In Denmark, our CGI Biobank solution has been adapted by our experts to fulfill the new requirements. This solution helps to collect and store large samples of data from patients to help increase the progress and quality of research for the COVID-19 virus.
We support governments
It is worth remembering that hospitals are now particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks. Our team in the Netherlands helps hospital administrations to prepare themselves against phishing and ransomware. In the UK, we are a key partner for over 50 projects run by the government, army, police, energy sector and other public utilities. In Sweden, we are responsible for the eGID CGI solution, in which each citizen receives a text message, that when sent back, is processed to provide a detailed report on the state of health of the Swedes. Through this solution, the government has access to reliable and timely data, that enables them to make the right decision at the right time.
Help for smaller companies
Employees from Finland and Scandinavia participated in online hackathons which made it possible to create numerous solutions. The key objective was to identify the best ways of saving people's lives and supporting enterprises. Our employees are part of the expert committee that has been set up in Canada. This gives us an opportunity to collaborate with different teams and share our knowledge and experience to create many help programs. We advise on cybersecurity, business continuity and recovery plans to the representatives of smaller companies.
Volunteering is a key to a better future
At CGI, we are proud of all of the employees who are volunteering to help their local communities. In the UK, neighbors can leave a message asking others to help them via mail or short phone call. In Poland people post information with a note that they are willing to help the elderly in everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, walking their dog, etc., There are also funds raised in the United States to provide meals for front line workers in the hospitals, pharmacies, police and fire departments. These activities are only a small fraction of those currently underway. CGI is a company that cares. Join us and find out how we can help serve our communities during this time of crisis.
About this author
Bartlomiej Niescierowicz
PLLE BU Leader
PLLE BU Leader since 2017, but with CGI associated for almost 15 years. He is responsible for the continued growth of CGI in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, where CGI employs nearly 900 people.
