Three days in Berlin, 900 exhibitors, packed halls—and one key insight: Digital transformation in healthcare has long been a reality. The crucial question is no longer “What should we implement?” but “How do we operate it?”
DMEA 2026: A Focus on Operations
Year after year, DMEA serves as a barometer for digital transformation in the healthcare sector. In 2026, the message was clear: the industry has invested—in systems, platforms, and infrastructure. But with every new system, operational complexity grows. And this is precisely where the focus shifts to a topic that has long been overshadowed by implementation projects: controlled, verifiable IT operations.
The keynote address by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken also underscored the political relevance: Digitalization in healthcare is no longer an optional project—it is both a regulatory obligation and an operational necessity.
Organically Evolved Structures as a Starting Point
In many hospitals and care facilities, IT landscapes have evolved organically over the years. Systems were introduced, siloed solutions established, and responsibilities assigned—often without an overarching operational model. The result: solutions that run side by side rather than together.
Michael Emmer, who gave a presentation at the booth of synaforce partner UWS, summed it up: The decisive step is the transformation toward a hospital IT system that can be operated stably as a whole. Only then can a solid foundation for future projects be established.
Operations as an Integrated Discipline
synaforce takes a consistently operator-centric approach. This means that infrastructure, platforms, and security components are not viewed in isolation but are brought together within an integrated model. Clear responsibilities, a single point of contact, and transparent processes form the foundation.
“When processes are clearly defined and responsibilities are unambiguously assigned, evidence is generated automatically—not just when an audit is conducted,” explains Tobias Lehner, CTO of synaforce.
This approach makes all the difference, especially in the regulated healthcare environment, where auditability and compliance are non-negotiable. synaforce integrates these requirements directly into the operational model, enabling structured and continuous evidence management.
Cloud Solutions as an Operational Lever
Highly available data center and cloud environments form the technological foundation. They can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT infrastructures and lay the groundwork for reliable 24/7 operations. This approach is complemented by our partnership with ujima, which enhances security through its SOC operations and managed security services.
What We’re Taking Away from DMEA
DThe discussions over the three days of the trade show made one thing clear: the industry is ready. Ready to shift its focus—from technology implementation to operations that view stability, security, and traceability as fundamental principles.
synaforce is taking these insights with us and will continue to explore these topics in the coming months. And in 2027? That’s when the DMEA moves to Munich—right on our doorstep.
Our playbook “Sovereign IT for Healthcare” analyzes the most common causes of outages in hospital IT and outlines concrete solutions
Learn more in the Playbook
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