On Wednesday, Sept. 2, Viya Business presented an educational webinar on the fundamentals of creating a business continuity plan. As the largest technology company in the territory, Viya’s goal is to establish a platform to keep the business community updated on the latest solutions available to effectively manage their businesses, improve operational efficiency, and remain as prepared as is possible for any future events that may impact the ease in which business is conducted.
The invited panelists were Daryl Jaschen, director of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA); Benjamin Nieves, an internationally known homeland security and emergency management consultant with over 24 years of experience, and author and designer of the first Joint (Federal and State) Disaster Operations Plan for catastrophic incidents; and Rolando Texidor, director of enterprise products and sales at Viya. The event was moderated by Ricardo Ariza, Viya’s chief commercial officer.
The community was asked to provide topics that would be of interest, and the panelists provided an overview of the steps that would be needed to create a Business Continuity Plan in light of best practices and lessons learned from previous events, and specifically in consideration of the organization changes effected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ariza said, “We are in the middle of a pandemic and in the middle of hurricane season. You may have read or seen articles referencing business continuity, but what exactly does it mean to you as a business manager? What steps must be followed to create the plan?”
Jaschen contributed by explaining that prevention is not only for the business itself. “We must consider the employees, the human side of it. Families and all the people who make up the business and all the preparations around them.”
Nieves said, “Though highly recommended, you do not need to hire a professional to create your business continuity plan. Make sure you have the right technology and measures in place, and everyone in the organization knows the plan.”
During the event, Viya’s director of products showcased several cloud-based technological solutions available to V.I. businesses, specifically as a key component for maintaining business continuity and effective communications. It was a well-attended event, and participants were engaged throughout the discussion.
A number of questions were asked near the conclusion of the webinar, to include an inquiry surrounding the affordability of cloud-based services to small businesses that typically operate on a pay-as-you-go operations structure with minimal initial capital investment.
Available at Viya’s Facebook and LinkedIn Company’s pages, this is the first of a series of webinars to be delivered by Viya Business. Viya strongly encourages the community to access its Facebook and LinkedIn Company pages for the latest updates on future events and registration, and stay tuned to radio and other news media for related advertisements.
