The Record - Issue 18: Autumn 2020

99 tracking each employee’s contacts in real time and alerting all affected employees (and commu- nity touchpoints) within seconds when anyone tests positive. This software runs as a cloud-based service in Microsoft Azure to provide the scalable per- formance it needs. Each employee can use a mobile app to notify the cloud service of con- tacts within the company in other departments or with the community during business travel. The mobile app also notifies the cloud service if the employee tests positive for Covid-19. The software can then reach out to all employees and community contacts in the network to alert them of possible exposure. To track contacts efficiently and enable noti- fications within seconds, the in-memory com- puting system uses a new software technology called ‘real-time digital twins’ to keep track of employees. Each twin is a digital model of a single employee which records an employee’s contacts and other key information, such as work location and the number of recent posi- tive exposures. The cloud service can aggregate information about all employees within seconds so that managers can spot emerging Covid-19 hotspots and take immediate action to control an outbreak. Real-time data aggregation helps managers maximise situational awareness by quickly identifying sites or departments that have many exposed employees. If multiple sites have corre- lated outbreaks, managers can then identify the source and the interactions that led to transmis- sion across sites. Managers can also track other important indicators, such as the number of employees and sites affected by an outbreak, the average number of intermediate contacts, and the percentage of affected employees who have taken action to isolate themselves. As companies strive to regain a normal work- ing environment, managers recognise the need to carefully monitor the occurrence of Covid-19 in the workplace and minimise its propagation. Immediately notifying affected employees helps to limit the outbreak. Analysing the sources and evolution of incidents lets managers respond quickly with new policies and strategies. With its ability to track and analyse fast-changing data in real time, new in-memory computing technology using real-time digital twins offers a powerful and flexible tool for contact tracing, helping employees get back to work quickly and safely. William Bain is the founder and CEO of ScaleOut Software