The Highlands area in Scotland is a tight-knit community that could more easily share news by word of mouth than over the internet. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, technology helped the community deal with the crisis effectively and enabled Highland Council workers to perform their jobs better.

The pandemic pushed Council employees to work from home while teachers and students transitioned online. Those who were most vulnerable to the virus would need additional support and resources. Meanwhile, the sparsely populated region has historically struggled with connectivity. Without additional technological support, the community might have come to a standstill.

Wipro has partnered with the Council to work toward digital transformation since 2016. Once the pandemic struck, Wipro worked with the Highland Council’s information and communication technology (ICT) service team to equip the Highland area with public Wi-Fi areas, secure networks and devices for the Highland Council to conduct their work, and institute a helpline for those most vulnerable to the virus. Wipro assessed the problems and was consultative in their suggestions — setting the Highlands up for long-term connectivity and security that will outlast the pandemic.

Here’s what Wipro and the Highland Council accomplished in just a short period:

• The number of people able to work from home grew 900% within 10 days, from 500 people connecting to 5,000 people connecting per day.
• They supported 5,000 teachers and 40,000 students in nursery, primary, and secondary schools with Google Classroom support and broadband connectivity.
• Two thousand people called the helpline, with 100 people working remotely on the other end.