Business continuity and technology resilience have become critical to organisations as countries worldwide try to navigate through COVID-19. In the Caribbean region, we also have to contend with the prospect of hurricanes and tropical storms, which also point back to ICT resilience and disaster planning and management. Dr. Stephen Louis, of BusinessTech Research, Inc., discusses: business continuity and technology resilience; how well Caribbean organisations fared during the COVID-19-related lockdowns; some of the biggest misconceptions people have about business continuity and technology resilience; and key technology-related tips for organisations moving forward.
This episode is also available in Apple iTunes, Google Play Music and on Stitcher!
Over the past few months, business continuity and technology resilience have gained prominent worldwide, as governments and organisations have had to grapple with the implications and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some entities would have been prepared, having adopted and Implemented a broad range of measures that would have allowed their teams to work remotely, and for the organisation to remain (almost) fully functioning.
Having implemented varying degrees of lockdown, which slowed or even halted their economies, countries are now eager to restart their economies, cognisant that some protocols must still be maintained in order to manage COVID-119 infections. To that end, and in many instances, work from home requirements are being relaxed, but remote working and teleworking arrangements are still needed, as we cannot completely revert to what had previously been the norm.
In addition to COVID-19, 1 June marked the start of the North Atlantic Hurricane Season, which officially lasts to 30 November. However, as at 30 June, we have already had three named storms, Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal, and the United States National Hurricane Centre has forecasted between 13 and 19 named storms, of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes, including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (that is category 3, or higher).
In light of the above, a key takeaway is the fact that more than ever before, ICT is essential for organisations to adapt and to continue to function seamlessly in adverse situations that routinely occur. Our systems and networks must to be flexible and resilient, in order to remain operational as and when needed and independent of location. However, many organisations still have not made adequate preparations, although generally, their continued operation is vulnerable to broad range of threats and disasters.
Introducing our Guest
Dr Stephen Louis
Dr Stephen Louis is an ICT and Management Consultant, who has been working in the ICT field for over 30 years, and is the Owner and Principal Consultant of BusinessTech Research, Inc. His experience covers several aspects of ICT including Project Management, Operations, Support, Application Development and Database Management. He has worked throughout the Caribbean and also in the Pacific region. His experience also includes a period of 6 years as the Information Systems Manager for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which included responsibility for coordinating regional emergency telecommunications arrangements.
He holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Computation from University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom (UK), a MBA from University of the West Indies and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Cranfield University School of Management in the UK. He is also a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), Project Management Professional (PMP) and registered as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Engineering Council UK.
Key discussion points
Although COVID-19 and the threat of hurricanes are two exigent circumstances that the Caribbean region is currently facing, it is just two of the many threats that can completely derail an organisation. For some of them, one might have some notice; for others one might be left to pick up the pieces after the fact. All of that, and more, were covered in our conversation with Stephen, but below are some of the specific questions posed:
- Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background
- So far during COVID-19, what were some of your observations with regard to the extent to which organisations were resilient – were able to function well – during that situation?
- Private sector versus public sector: which group handled COVID-19 better?
- These days, with countries re-opening their economies, many organisations are looking to get back up to full throttle. What might be important considerations going forward?
- With the start of the hurricane season, what are some of the key telecoms and ICT-related considerations in order to ensure continuity and resilience of an organisation’s operations in the face of natural or man-made hazards?
- Traditionally, organisations developed their business continuity and resilience plans with hurricanes, primarily, in mind. But how might those plans differ, when there is: fire; flooding; riots/civil unrest?
- What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about business continuity and technology resilience?
- What are some key technology-related tips for organisations, which are still navigating through COVID-19, but also having to be mindful that we are in the hurricane season?
We would love to hear from you!
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Select links
Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:
Image credits: Pete Linforth (Pixabay); S. Louis
Music credit: Ray Holman
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