How to ensure business continuity
Modern business is unthinkable without information technology. On the one hand, it's a powerful economic driver, and on the other, it's a drain on the economy. The continuity of business processes depends on the uninterrupted operation of IT services.
Major IT companies claim to be prepared for the challenges posed by power outages. Their experience is likely of interest to small and medium-sized businesses involved in the IT sector.
Read our article to find out how and by what means the safety and continuity of business operations are ensured in extreme conditions.
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Business Continuity Planning
The foundation for "survival" and continued operations during wartime is a business continuity plan (BCP). Each company has its own unique plan, tailored to its specific needs.
But they have much in common, as emergency response plans are aimed at organizing work in emergency situations and anticipate various scenarios, including the ability to continue business operations even during a power outage.
EPAM Ukraine, for example, has such a plan, but its details, for obvious reasons, are not being disclosed.
It is only known that the outsourcing IT company EPAM tested various options for ensuring the security of its team, the continuity of business processes for clients, and the company itself in non-standard situations even before the start of a full-scale war.
Hybrid work format
Given the challenging situation and the martial law in Ukraine, most companies are practicing a hybrid work format. For example, Ciklum, like many others, established remote work arrangements during the pandemic, so the war didn't require them to radically change their approach to remote work.
This company considered possible scenarios in which employees would not be able to connect to work online, so they prepared the infrastructure.
What has been done?
- All key Ciklum systems have been migrated to the cloud.
Many others have done the same. For example, PrivatBank made a key decision at the beginning of the war to migrate its services to a cloud-based platform abroad. The process was completed in May, so the company assures that power outages in Ukraine will not affect the bank's electronic services.
As a reminder, the government has simplified the use of cloud services for the private and public sectors. In March, the Cabinet of Ministers authorized Ukrainian government and banking institutions to use cloud technologies with data hosted in foreign data centers during wartime.
- Power supply for offices
- Ciklum's office locations are equipped with powerful . Intellias, ZONE3000, Netpeak Group, and other companies have done the same.
- Sigma Software's main offices have backup power inputs from various substations, and the company handles power outage issues on a case-by-case basis for smaller offices.
- Many companies have developed a mechanism for refueling alternatives.
Thus, all offices of the international IT company GlobalLogic have at least two alternative methods of high-speed internet access, which are directly connected to major European hubs, bypassing Russia and Belarus.
- Luxoft (an outsourcing software development company) has ensured redundant power supply for its offices, allowing them to maintain a stable pace of project work. In March, they received Starlink stations. This provides a backup communication channel for the main offices in case of failure of the optical network.
Luxoft DXC Technology Company has representative offices in 20 countries worldwide. Ukraine is the company's largest location, with offices in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro. Luxoft Ukraine currently employs over 4,000 specialists from across Ukraine.
Incidentally, the company announced back in March that it was leaving the Russian market, condemning the unjustified aggression on the part of Russia, which is leading to the death of peaceful Ukrainians.
Interchangeability and distributed work
In addition, the Ciklum team, for example, maintains normal productivity in critical circumstances thanks to a high level of mutual support, completing colleagues' tasks, or providing all possible assistance to those who, for objective reasons, have temporarily dropped out of the work process (due to relocation, for example).
The company changed its approach to local technical support and adapted its processes to increase their flexibility.
Many companies have distributed teams, with most specialists located in different cities and regions. Therefore, the likelihood of everyone being simultaneously without access to their work and workspace is quite low.
The combination of measures taken allows us to maintain the quality of service provision and operation at a consistently high level.
Adaptability and speed of response to external challenges
First, two years of a pandemic, then a full-scale war. Predicting the future and accounting for all the negative factors is impossible. In such a situation, adaptability and the ability to quickly respond to external challenges become paramount.
For example, Innovecs (a global digital transformation technology company) has its own business continuity plan (BCP) that takes into account a wide range of risks.
The company has developed an IT strategy that includes a transition from a centralized architecture to a distributed one.
What helps you stay afloat:
Cloud and service model of use
Most corporate services and infrastructure operate within the cloud and service model of use.
Improving the information security system
Companies are implementing a zero-trust model, allowing them to work securely from anywhere on the planet.
Transformation of the internal communication system
It's important to improve the efficiency of team collaboration remotely. This is an opportunity to globalize the business without significant time and resource expenditures.
Relocation services
Given the threat of attacks on thermal power plants, communication nodes, and other critical infrastructure, it is important to be prepared to operate in conditions of unavailable or disrupted internet connections, cellular communications, disrupted transportation, and other unpleasant consequences.
Company management must know where employees are located and monitor information about the operation of infrastructure in these cities and regions.
Large companies practice centralized temporary relocation of employees in the event of a major disaster to a more or less calm region.
They have a plan for how to quickly respond to the situation, notify employees, and back up communications.
Conclusion
We are all sincerely grateful to the workers who maintain Ukraine's power grid and promptly clean up the aftermath of enemy strikes. This is an example of how everyone, in their place, must exert maximum effort in their respective sectors of the front, doing their job.
Entrepreneurs, like large IT companies, should have a Business Process Control (BCP) plan to ensure the continuous operation of their business project. It's also important to remember that promotion is aided bywebsitewith a reliablehosting And domainTools for secure customer service - registrationtrademark (TM) And SSL certificateThese services can be ordered atNIC.UA.
Today, any operating business is a link in the overall chain of support for the Ukrainian economy. Therefore, it is important to ensure income generation in order to be able to pay taxes and donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Together to Peremoga!
