Pandemics and Keeping Businesses Running

March 11, 2020

Pandemics and Keeping Businesses Running

Businesses worldwide are struggling to find the new norm when dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and its impacts to society and business continuity. Actions taken by many companies include limitations on travel, cancellations of conference attendance, avoidance of large groups, encouraging sick workers to stay home and of course, lots of hand sanitizer and hand washing in the work environment.

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

A healthy workforce is critical to business continuity yet many businesses are not structured to support the impacts of a pandemic and are struggling. The standard business model is to group hundreds and thousands of workers in a location to work directly with each other for the business and its customers. Unfortunately, this is exactly how a virus can spread quickly and easily with a few coughs. Suddenly one sneeze in an elevator exposes 5 other workers who then spread the virus unknowingly. Businesses who embrace the model of a centralized workforce are most at risk for the impacts of a pandemic. Those business leaders who are able to function in a flexible decentralized workforce working remotely or from their homes have an advantage in this scenario. A single sick worker cannot spread sickness and the business can sustain itself better while under pandemic-like conditions.

Many software development companies, including Flint Hills Group, have embraced this decentralized model for some time. Having developers that work remotely allow these companies to serve customers successfully and in a scalable way even under the global stress of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Utilizing cloud hosted solutions enables these software firms to avoid having to staff data centers where IT professionals spread infections by touching the equipment.

If your software team has been impacted by the virus or you require additional hands to keep business moving as usual, our team is ready to assist with any temporary or long-term needs.

Dave Cunningham
Founder and CEO

A seasoned technical leader with over 30 years software engineering experience, Dave is a passionate collaborator who brings teams together for success.

Dave Cunningham - CEO Flint Hills Group
Dave Cunningham - CEO Flint Hills Group

Dave Cunningham
Founder and CEO

A seasoned technical leader with over 30 years software engineering experience, Dave is a passionate collaborator who brings teams together for success.