In this exclusive CanadianSME Small Business Magazine interview, Kelly Soderlund, Insights Lead at Samsara, explains how real-time data and connected operations are redefining operational resilience for Canadian organizations. Drawing on deep expertise in communications and analytics across leading technology companies, Kelly is dedicated to turning complex trends into actionable stories—helping businesses bridge the gap between confidence and true disaster preparedness in today’s increasingly unpredictable world.
Kelly Soderlund leads the Insights team at Samsara, using data to tell compelling stories about the connected operations economy. Her work turns complex trends into clear narratives that resonate across media, customers, and the C-suite. Before joining Samsara, Kelly led global communications at Navan (formerly TripActions), where she helped guide the company through pandemic recovery and growth. She previously held senior roles at TripIt, SAP Concur, and Hipmunk.
As Canada’s organizations face significant gaps in disaster preparedness despite global confidence, how can data-driven insights help bridge this “confidence vs. reality” divide and build genuine operational resilience?
This is really the crux of the issue: there’s a huge disconnect in how organizations perceive their level of preparedness versus their current reality—and organizations should consider how to bridge that gap. For example, our survey found that while 40% of Canadian organizations feel “fully prepared” for a crisis, just 1% in high-risk areas have an active disaster plan. This is where data becomes the bridge.
Considering disasters are on the rise and the economic toll of wildfires, floods, and cyberattacks continues to climb, alarm bells should be ringing. Connected operations platforms like Samsara help. Instead of guessing where assets, vehicles or equipment are, you have real-time GPS locations; rather than worrying about driver safety, you have visibility into their driver behaviour and vehicle health.
This lets leaders see their entire operation clearly, identify risks before they escalate, and adjust where needed in the event of an emergency or disaster. It’s this level of insight that transforms resilience from a concept into capability, and ultimately allows organizations to proactively manage situations, ensure the safety of their people, and the continuity of their operations.
With 76% of organizations lacking access to real-time operational data, what actionable strategies can businesses implement to overcome visibility and connectivity challenges, especially during crisis situations?
This stat sounds concerning, but it also presents an opportunity to refine existing workflows and implement new technology to improve efficiency. The most effective strategy is to build a digital foundation for physical operations. This starts with a unified platform that connects your most critical assets, whether that’s vehicles, equipment, or facilities.
For a small or medium-sized business, this doesn’t have to be a massive overhaul. It can begin with connecting your primary fleet to gain GPS visibility. From there, businesses can integrate asset trackers for high-value equipment and deploy smart cameras. To solve connectivity gaps, especially in remote areas of Canada, leveraging technology such as Samsara’s Satellite Connectivity provides a dual-network system that automatically switches between cellular and satellite to ensure you have continuous tracking even when out of cellular range. This provides a constant stream of location data, giving you an unbroken line of sight into your operations.
The State of Connected Operations report highlights critical communication breakdowns in Canadian operations. What best practices or innovations are enabling companies to maintain effective internal and external communication under stress?
The best practices for enabling companies to maintain effective communication under stress:
1. Effective communication: Communication is often the first thing to break down in a crisis, which is why 99% of Canadian organizations told us they want their ability to do so to improve. The best practice is to centralize communications on a single platform, eliminating reliance on multiple, disparate messaging apps that create confusion.
2. Integrating Communication with Operations: For instance, when a hazard emerges, a dispatcher doesn’t just send a message; they can use AI-powered route planning to generate a safer, optimized route that accounts for the new conditions in real time. That new route is then sent to the driver with a targeted in-cab message. This closes the loop between awareness, decision-making, and action.
3. Tailoring messaging for different use cases: For field workers, broadcast messages can confirm safety status with a simple tap. By unifying communication and operational tools like intelligent routing, companies ensure every stakeholder receives clear, actionable, and consistent information, which builds trust and maintains order during a stressful event.
Samsara’s latest satellite connectivity and wearable safety solutions aim to support remote workforces and emergency response. Can you share real-world examples of these technologies driving measurable improvements in safety or efficiency?
At Samsara, we’re seeing firsthand how advanced connectivity and safety technologies are transforming operations in the most challenging environments.
Here are a few examples:
- Small’s Expediting Services Ltd. is a logistics company operating in the Canadian Yukon. They adopted our Satellite Connectivity solution to bridge gaps where cellular networks simply don’t reach. Shawn Hamilton, Vice President and CFO, told us that before Samsara, they would lose visibility the moment vehicles left cellular zones. Now, Small’s can monitor location every 15 minutes, even deep in the field. Because it automatically switches between cellular and satellite, GPS tracking is always online, so dispatchers can reroute drivers in real time—especially critical during wildfire season or severe weather events.
- For remote and lone workers, our Samsara Wearable adds another layer of protection. With automatic fall detection and a one-click SOS feature, workers can instantly alert their managers—complete with precise GPS coordinates and live situational context—enabling faster, more informed emergency response.
Together, these solutions demonstrate how Samsara is driving measurable improvements in both safety and efficiency, ensuring every worker, asset, and vehicle stays connected and protected, no matter how remote the operation.
Looking ahead, how do you see AI and emerging connected technologies reshaping Canadian disaster response and business continuity? What final advice would you offer to SMBs striving to stay resilient in an always-connected future?
AI is shifting disaster response from reactive to predictive, a view shared by nearly 90% of leaders in our report. Instead of simply notifying you when a bridge is blocked or flooded, Samsara’s AI-powered route planning analyzes real-time weather, traffic, and road conditions to help you steer clear of hazards. It proactively recommends the safest and most efficient alternative routes for your fleet, often hours before incidents impact operations, helping maintain business continuity. Additionally, Samsara’s platform highlights which vehicles or assets are most exposed to current conditions and can trigger automated workflows—like emergency checklists—to support frontline workers when risk levels rise.
My final advice to SMBs is this:
1. Don’t be intimidated. Building resilience doesn’t require a complex command centre—it starts with small, practical steps to connect your operations.
2. Start small. Pick one area, like vehicle location or asset tracking, and get that visibility. The insights you gain will immediately improve your efficiency and safety. In today’s world, technology is what enables organizations to minimize disruption, protect their people, and position themselves to recover faster and stronger.
