ICO CEO Dung Tran and Zebra Channel Account Manager Carmen Spohn
By Your Edge Blog Team | December 22, 2021

As We Return to Stadiums, Schools and Other Social Settings, Let’s Remember to Thank the People Who are Making It Possible (and Safe)

Brilliant ideas and tangible solutions from Zebra partners like ICO Innovative Computer are helping front-line heroes provide fast, trustworthy access control so we can all feel comfortable gathering again.

For nearly two years, the world has been looking for fun and conviviality. People are longing to finally experience their favorite band live again, to feel the excitement at sports events in a stadium or to enjoy a delicious meal in the restaurant. Thanks to digital or printed vaccination and test certificates, humanity has been able to take a small step back toward normality in many parts of the world. Leisure activities have even become possible again and some event locations have cautiously opened their doors.

But none of this would be possible without the sacrifice of front-line workers who have selflessly given so much of their own time to ensure others’ can safely enjoy their free time. That’s why Zebra Premier Business Partner ICO Innovative Computer GmbH in Germany dedicated its time and resources to developing an app that can expedite check-ins and help minimize crowds at entry points for sporting events, concerts, fairs, cinemas and other social venues. It wanted staff charged with verifying vaccine certificates, test results or admission tickets to feel comfortable doing their jobs. 

We recently connected with Dung Tran, Head of Service/Product Management, ICO Innovative Computer, to learn more about its efforts to “Restore Front-Line Heroes”:

Your Edge Blog Team: Tell us more about the admissions control app you created.

Tran: ICO VaccScan enables the verification of digital vaccination certificates with mobile computers and their scan engines. This is way faster and easier than the verification via smartphone cameras – especially in bad lighting conditions like direct sunlight.

Your Edge Blog Team: Why did you choose to give back to front-line heroes in this way?

Tran: Every day, front-line heroes are face-to-face with a lot of people. So, it’s very important to reduce contact times to a minimum amount. Thanks to ICO VaccScan, access controls can be completed quicker and thus prevent long queues at entrances. 

Your Edge Blog Team: What has the impact been so far?

Tran: Right now, our app is used at universities to check students’ vaccination status and by a couple of soccer clubs playing in the highest German soccer league. The positive feedback ensures a continuous growth of users. 

Your Edge Blog Team: Though the future remains uncertain with the emergence of the Omicron variant, many people are eager to find ways to move forward and resume social activities. Are you seeing demand for the app increase as more venues aim to reopen and events resume? 

Tran: Even if we hope that this global pandemic will end soon, we are absolutely convinced that access controls will be part of our lives in the upcoming years. And therefore, the demand for ICO VaccScan will certainly increase to ensure safe events. 

Your Edge Blog Team: Are there potential use cases for this app beyond entertainment venues?

Tran: This app has been an improvement whenever we are speaking of a certification process for vaccination. As mentioned before, it is already being used at locations beyond entertainment venues, such as universities.

Your Edge Blog Team: As we look to 2022, where do you feel technology could be better leveraged to improve business or societal outcomes and support greater economic and individual well-being?

Tran: The Covid-19 pandemic showed us that we still have to a lot to improve. It took our society way too long to build up a working infrastructure. Schools especially experienced many problems due to old technical resources. So, that’s definitely where technology should be better leveraged.

Your Edge Blog Team: Are there other ways you and the ICO team are giving back to local and global communities right now? 

Tran: Just a few weeks ago we made another donation to a little girl who suffers from a chronic illness. It was such a heartwarming story; we definitely wanted to support. Her family’s gratitude was overwhelming, and we are very happy that we could help them.

Your Edge Blog Team: What is your one hope for the world in 2022?

Tran: It’s very difficult to put all the wishes together into one single hope. The most important thing is that all humans work together as one and learn from the past two years. So, it is up to us to make 2022 a wonderful year, and I’m sure all of us will have a great one.

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Editor’s Note:

In September 2021, Zebra donated USD$5,000 to Kinderheim 360 on behalf of ICO Innovative Computer to recognize the company’s efforts to “Restore Front-Line Heroes” during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can learn more about the ICO VaccScan app here. If you’d like to amplify Zebra’s donation to Kinderheim 360, you can do so here.

Topics
Corporate Social Responsibility, Inside Zebra Nation,
Zebra’s “Your Edge” Blog Team
Zebra’s “Your Edge” Blog Team

The “Your Edge” Blog Team is comprised of content curators and editors from Zebra’s Global PR, Thought Leadership and Advocacy team. Our goal is to connect you with the industry experts best-versed on the issues, trends and solutions that impact your business. We will collectively deliver critical news analysis, exclusive insights on the state of your industry, and guidance on how your organization can leverage a number of different proven technology platforms and strategies to capture your edge.