Business continuity in the cloud
Are you weighing the pros and cons of the cloud for business continuity? Let’s take a closer look at why the cloud is best for this strategy.
2 min read
Well - It’s been a strange few weeks! Like many of you, Xceptional’s workforce is now operating almost completely remotely. We are following recommendations to stay home and stay well, but still operating at full capacity.
A few items to note for our clients:
- Although we are working remotely, we still have staff available to dispatch for issues that cannot be resolved remotely.
- Clients requesting onsite assistance are required to complete a questionnaire regarding their COVID-19 people and workspace policies - we need to protect our clients AND our employees.
- Employees are required to practice social distancing and frequent handwashing and sanitizing when in the Xceptional office or at a client site.
- We have a formal communicable diseases policy in place that addresses the specifics of employees who may have been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19. Email me at dcarpenter@xceptional.com if you would like to take a look.
- With many of our clients moving quickly to a work from home model, we have experienced higher than average ticket volume - but we’re on it! We are so thankful for the patience and understanding that has been shown to us by our clients and their employees in this remarkably busy time.
- Many of our partners are offering promotional licensing during this time to enable rapid deployment of a work-from-home model - if you are interested in exploring cloud collaboration or virtual desktops - now is the time! Email us at sales@xceptional.com to set up a call to discuss your options.
With recent developments, our remote work situation has been extended indefinitely. Here’s how we’re adapting:
- Collaboration! Xceptional made the shift to WebEx Teams for phones, messaging, and meetings a few years ago. We’re a tight knit group that enjoys face time - so this adjustment has been hard on some of our team members. Collaboration tools like WebEx Teams allow us to instantly turn a group conversation into a video meeting, to share content in real time, and keep running jokes going (for sometimes far too long).
- Going truly “paperless”. For a technology company, we’re finding that we are still surprisingly dependent on some dated methods of paying and getting paid. This has been a great opportunity to reach out to clients and vendors with whom we’re still exchanging paper invoices.
- Taking a moment to check in with our clients and each other. Did I mention that we’re tight knit? Losing out on the casual, by-the-way types of interactions in the breakroom has been difficult. Checking in has become a more intentional act. This means that sometimes the meeting agenda shifts a little to allow for time to “catch up”. With clients, too, our conversations have taken a much more personal, “how can we get through this together” tone. We’re all in the same boat here!
With our size and structure, we have the ability to be nimble and shift resources and focus as quickly as this situation evolves. I’m extremely grateful for that and for the hard work and dedication of my team members in this time of uncertainty - as well as the true spirit of partnership that we have felt from our clients and vendors.
If you have questions about Xceptional’s response to COVID-19, or how we might be able to help you keep things moving smoothly, please contact your sales representative, or email me directly at dcarpenter@xceptional.com.
Stay well!
By Danielle Carpenter
COO/CFO
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