As coronavirus spreads, Israeli tech co. transforms business and schools

With the shutting down of schools worldwide due to the virus, students can continue their education from home with just a laptop and Internet connection.

By CARMEL MADADSHAHI
Working from home (photo credit: PXHERE)
Working from home
(photo credit: PXHERE)
With the ever-growing spread of the novel coronavirus, Israeli video cloud platform Kaltura says it is receiving a large number of appeals for access to its video technology from global organizations to replace physical meetings with digital ones.
Founded in 2006, Kaltura provides a "revolutionary" way to use video as a way to "communicate, collaborate, work, learn and entertain by making video a seamless, accessible part of organizations and our lives."
The company has more than 500 employees, with offices across Israel, the United States, Europe and Singapore. According to a release, it has already begun the process of helping companies transition from physical to online meetings. They said the demand for the technology has increased in parallel with the spread of the virus.
One employee, who had returned from vacation in Thailand, was asked to work from home for 14 days, yet had the opportunity to continue to participate in conversations with staff through video, allowing for a seamless return into the work field after the quarantine period was over.
Moreover, the company is now being called on to help in educational institutions. On Wednesday, for example, more than 1,100 high school students were put into quarantine in Israel after a fellow student contracted the virus.  
Teachers and students are asking to use the technology to run video tutorials and online classes. The technology allows students to continue their education from home-based quarantine with just a laptop and Internet connection.
Sigal Srur, head of human resources at Kaltura, explained the new demand and its advantages: "Following the corona eruption, organizations are looking for solutions that prevent employees from flying or even sitting in one room together. So we have received many inquiries for embedding our technology that allows not only online meetings but also sharing in virtual discussion rooms, writing on various boards, and saving the information shared throughout the meetings.
"The world is advancing to online technologies that not only replace the need for physical meetings but actually enable more effective work, allowing not only the ability to share information before and after the meeting, but also the ability to avoid losing organizational knowledge when working with different locations in different time zones," she concluded.