The global spread of COVID-19 has forced people to self-isolate and work remotely. Not only individuals, but also governments, businesses and organizations were faced with the challenge of organizing their work effectively. And right there, the software solutions of IT companies have come to the rescue like a “magic wand”. Organizations that have been using such software before the pandemic were able to more easily adapt to the new reality, while others tried to find quick solutions.

Mediamax is telling a story about systems that have been developed at Synergy International Systems, Inc. – systems, which not only came to the rescue of many foreign companies and governments these days, but also made their work much more effective.

Synergy’s example

Synergy operates in more than 75 countries, providing services to both governmental and private sectors. They never stopped operating or slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the contrary, the programs were implemented with more vigor.

“As an IT company, we continued providing services remotely to all our clients around the globe. Since we are working with governments providing them with process automation and data management systems, we’ve realized that our solutions can be very fitting and useful in times of pandemic, when people’s movement is restricted and online services have acquired vital significance,” said Ani Gevorgyan, Business Development Director at Synergy.

Ani Gevorgyan

Photo: Mediamax

Ani Avagyan, Project Manager/Social Protection Information Systems, noted that the company has always been flexible and allowed its employees to work remotely (from home) if needed. That’s why during the coronavirus outbreak in Armenia Synergy has easily switched to working remotely. The transition was not stressful, and the company has managed to provide its employees with necessary tools.

Social protection services online

Through Synergy’s social protection systems, the relevant state agency/ministry is able to target socially vulnerable people who need social assistance. 

“Amid the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, when the number of those in need of social assistance is skyrocketing and governments are launching social assistance programs, our solution can be quickly adapted to different countries. It will enable them to automatically target people who need social assistance by using filtering criteria,” said Ani Avagyan, Project Manager. 

She noted that during this pandemic their social team has been continuously working with customers in a regular regime.

“Our systems developed for relevant entities are playing a very important role these days. Targeted distribution of resources, transparency and accessibility, is even more important in the sphere of social protection. These projects have humanitarian significance, and the team is very excited to work on them. Through clear calculations, the program targets those who need assistance the most.

The whole world has stepped on the path of automation, involving all the spheres, but in this particular sphere it is even more important, as it provides accuracy and transparency,” said Ani Avagyan.

Ani Avagyan

Photo: Mediamax

Thus, Synergy has launched an online application system in the Bahamas that will enable those Bahamians who lost their jobs because of the pandemic to apply remotely for emergency unemployment benefits and food vouchers - something that would only be possible to do in person. The agreement between Synergy and the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development of the Bahamas was signed in March 2020, and as of April 13th, the system has already provided an opportunity to register online and process applications.

Project Manager/Systems Analyst Lia Harutyunyan said that in addition to food support, through the website developed for the Bahamas, citizens can also apply for uniforms for school children, temporary shelters after natural disasters, reimbursement of rent and utility bills, funeral support, and other programs. Each application is processed through ProMIS (Social Protection Management Information System) developed by Synergy and designed by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

“We can say for sure that the program implemented in the Bahamas can become an example for other countries as well, taking into account the fact that due to the pandemic people’s needs are the same in all countries,” said Lia Harutyunyan. 

Lia Harutyunyan

Photo: Mediamax

Synergy has a long track record of helping countries and the international community in their response to humanitarian crises. In the aftermath of major natural disasters such as the 2005 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, and the 2013 Philippines Typhoon Yolanda, Synergy enabled disaster-affected governments and their partners to track the flow of aid money and monitor the progress of recovery efforts.

Free of charge software for the Armenian government

In response to the coronavirus crisis, Synergy has developed a new software product designed to help governments assess and address nation-wide needs for medical equipment and supplies in their fight against the pandemic.

Speaking about crisis response, MIS Expert Hovhannes Aghajanyan noted that by using the agile software methodology, in a short period of time they have developed the National Pandemic Response Tracker – an online system which enables to create a real-time database of current country-wide needs and their beneficiaries (e.g. determine needs for such things as personal protective equipment (PPE) based on requests by state agencies and priorities), manage the funding, procurement, and distribution of supplies coming from different international pipelines, as well as improve the supply chain ensuring the transparency of all processes.

Hovhannes Aghajanyan

Photo: Mediamax

Synergy is deploying the software in Armenia in partnership with the Armenian government and with the support of the European Union, the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP).

The software was developed in two weeks, taking into account the significance of the moment and the urgent need for this kind of software. It was developed with social responsibility in mind, and is the “helping hand” lent by Synergy to the Armenian government to effectively overcome the coronavirus crisis. The software is easy to use and can be mastered from the very first attempt with no trouble. Like other software products developed by Synergy, it also allows making comparisons and analysis, as well as preparing reports with a single click of a mouse.

“Medical centers both in Yerevan and in various regions are in need of medical supplies, and the government and the Commandant’s Office should have a clear understanding of it. For example, if a regional hospital needs some amount of medication or other medical supplies to provide care, our software enables all the structures to register their needs and submit applications for acquiring necessary supplies. The relevant entity instantly receives the application and can correctly distribute the resources through the certification chain. Thanks to the software, applications are instantly sent to the responsible ministry or entity, thus ensuring the targeting, urgency of problem-solving, targeted distribution and efficiency,” said Ani Gevorgyan.

Impartial assessment through Synergy Indicata

Synergy Indicata is a leading software used by governments and nonprofits in times of the coronavirus outbreak to impartially assess their steps and track the results of their programs. 

Ani Gevorgyan and Ani Avagyan

Photo: Mediamax

“Governments and ministries, private companies and nonprofits can adopt Indicata to manage their projects and measure their impact and efficiency. In the initial stage of this coronavirus pandemic, all the governments were trying to manage and solve primary problems, but I am sure that once the immediate needs are addressed there will be a need to evaluate their response and the programs implemented during this crisis. When the governments are ready to measure the performance and the efficiency of their programs, our software can help them in this matter,” Ani Gevorgyan explained.

Emergency assistance to the justice sector

Synergy also has a so-called “safety net” for an already overburdened justice system. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the justice institutions (investigation and prosecution bodies, courts) in a number of countries used the Case Management Systems developed by Synergy, and the countries that already had similar systems have benefited greatly when the lockdown began.

“These systems helped the justice sector continue to provide services to the public and law enforcement bodies and not suspend their entire operations. In fact, the lockdown has also urged some countries to actively use the systems,” said Khachatur Matevosyan, Senior eJustice Program Manager.

Khachatur Matevosyan

Photo: Mediamax

He also spoke of the case management platform developed for the Ukrainian anticorruption bodies.

“On an average a criminal case used to involve over 10 thousand files. Investigators, the Prosecutor’s Office and lawyers simultaneously worked on the same case. Afterwards, the case was transferred to the High Anti-corruption Court. The system now fully digitalizes the case, and there is no need to carry boxes of papers from one institution to another like before. The files are available online for all the parties in the case. In addition to saving time and resources, the digitalization of documents has an environmental impact as well,” said Khachatur Matevosyan. 

Thus, all the activities within the justice system can be carried out online, which was even more important during the lockdown caused by COVID-19 and its aftermath, and justice systems have escaped a total ‘paralysis’.

Marie Tarian

Photos: Emin Aristakesyan