Continuity East Africa To Inject Kshs Half A Billion For Recovery Of Work Area Facilities

Continuity East Africa (CEA) plans to invest over Kshs 500 million in the next three years to expand its Work Area Recovery facilities in the region. According to the company, the expansion of said facilities is driven by the appreciation and accelerated uptake of business continuity services fueled by the dynamics of the business operating environment in the market.

CEA, a joint venture of Internet Solutions Kenya & ContinuitySA, has already invested Kshs 150 million in phase one of the project. This involved expanding its capacity from 110 to 260 seats at its work area recovery site in United States International University (USIU) complex. The second phase will see the company grow the capacity to at least 800 seats here in Nairobi and set up similar facilities in Kampala and Dar es Salaam within the next three years. CEA offers business continuity advisory services which entail helping their clients to develop business continuity policies and plans, conducting crisis management simulations, and IT disaster recovery tests among other services.

Speaking during the commissioning of the new recovery site, Richard Hechle, Managing Director, Internet Solutions, said “COVID-19 has changed the way organisations conduct their daily operations, engage with employees, partners, and conduct business. In the middle of all that, business continuity is key, and CEA comes in to provide exactly that. We are helping existing clients carry out providing critical business functions while meeting social distancing requirements. In some instances, this saves employee commute time. This has ensured maximum productivity from such employees even in such complex situations,” he added.

COVID-19 has definitely changed the way organizations conduct their daily operations, engage with employees, partners, and conduct business. In the middle of all that, business continuity is key, and CEA comes in to provide exactly that. 

The facility meets very stringent health and safety standards and is highly customisable to meet varying customer requirements and can now house up to 260 users. The facility connects to two KPLC lines drawing power from different substations. Within the facility, workstations and the data centre are powered from two parallel sets generators and UPS units. For comfort, employees working from this location have access to at least three canteens, select pause areas, and modern office kitchenette serving quick refreshments.

Hechle noted that business continuity is of utmost importance during these modern times and that the company was committed to meeting its clients’ Business Continuity and technology needs promptly so that their businesses can continue to operate.

“We have had tremendous feedback from many of our clients as we step up to support their changing business needs. From establishing new digital event platforms and rolling out new collaboration tools to keeping their operations secure from cyber-attacks. We’ve seen the demand on collaboration platforms like WebEx, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom more than double last month as more people work from home and the number of attempts of new cyberattacks is spiking. Every day, our people are supporting clients both onsite and from our service and operations centres in critical services industries such as hospitals, supply chains, and food retailers,” he said.

In Kenya, many organisations grapple with the challenge of where to place Business Continuity Planning in the organisation’s priorities mainly because of the inability to show a clear business case. Hechle noted that one of the critical risks a robust business continuity program seeks to manage is the premises. The provision of alternative workspace ensures that organisations are not only able to operate during the disruptions but also minimise the negative impact on the company’s business.