World’s leading IT consulting firm Gartner names Anyware Group one of the coolest vendors

By Quentin Casey – Telegraph Journal  | link to original article

The world’s leading information technology research and advisory company has singled out a Saint John software firm for praise.AnyWare Group Inc., which was founded in the Port City in 1999, announced it has been listed as a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner, Inc. – which identifies leaders in the IT industry.

Reached Monday, AnyWare co-founder and executive Wayne Chamberlain said his firm is among five companies listed by Gartner as “Cool Vendors” in the IT health-care field.

The Gartner report, he said, recognizes innovative and “potentially transformative” companies in the field. And Chamberlain noted AnyWare was the only Canadian company listed in the field.

“Gartner covers companies world-wide. So for a company from the Maritimes or Saint John to get this kind of recognition really speaks to the quality of the workforce we have here,” said Chamberlain, the company’s vice president of marketing, in an interview.

“It lends a lot of credibility to the company and the technology.”

That recognition, Chamberlain said, is expected to boost business and help with future sales and marketing.

Still based in Saint John, with an office in Toronto, AnyWare produces so-called “physician and patient portal” software.

Simply put, the company produces software that allows health care workers to securely review critical health IT data – outside of a hospital or clinical setting.

For example, the firm’s technology allows a radiologist to securely view a patient’s scan and make a diagnosis, without being at the hospital. Instead, the doctor can use the software to log in from home. All they need is a computer with a web browser.

As well, the company makes software that allows patients to record their health information online, which their doctor can then review and use for diagnosis.

For instance, a diabetic patient could record their blood sugar levels for long-term monitoring. The software lets the doctor track the patient’s condition – over the long-term – without clinic or hospital visits.

Chamberlain said Gartner’s praise serves as a “maturity milestone” for a company now in its second decade.

Today, AnyWare has 30 employees, and its software is leased by governments and hospitals across North America, from the Maritimes to Florida and Hawaii.

According to the Gartner report, “Healthcare delivery organizations are rushing to provide clinicians mobile access to applications and patient data, but they are struggling with identity and access management.”

So, there is a need to explore innovative and non-traditional approaches, which is exactly where AnyWare comes in, Chamberlain said.