After any sort of disaster declaration, the first order of business is to get things operational as quickly and effectively as possible. Efficiency isn’t really that important; it is refloating the boat that defines success in the heat of the moment. In that respect, pandemic responses are no different from weather events, just at an unprecedented scale.
As Novarica CEO and President Matthew Josefowicz pointed out recently, insurers are going to have to reevaluate their strategies going forward from COVID-19. Important next steps include refining and stabilizing operations to be able to withstand work scaling, understanding what lessons have been learned that can support both current and future operations, as well as starting to plan for an eventual return to traditional operations. For IT leaders, the time to start focusing on these things is at hand, well before the COVID-19 wave crests.
Refining Operations
Every day is revealing issues that need to be addressed in our new, temporary circumstances. While operational, technology stacks may be fine-tuned or new risks (e.g., single points of failure) may need to be fixed. Strategic partners may have their own emerging concerns which need to be accounted for; they may require new contingency plans which mitigate the possibility of any sort of operational contagion (e.g., an inability to meet contractual SLAs) spreading between corporate entities.
Business processes that are inefficient or at a heightened risk of failure, such as anything involving paper, may also need immediate attention. Setting up operations following an event frequently generates a burst of organizational adrenaline to support the singular goal of getting things running. This can create a new set of risks and security concerns that need to be addressed quickly.
For example, one of the little-remembered aftershocks from 9/11 was the spread of malware that came in the subsequent days, diverting attention and resources. We may still see similar unexpected diversions while key resources are otherwise occupied by the pandemic.
Capturing Lessons Learned
In the case of a fast-moving event like a hurricane, retrospectives may be able to wait for “the end.” That’s not the case with events like pandemics and terrorist attacks. For these types of catastrophes, ensuring some time each day is dedicated to capturing and preserving new insights is critical. In the heat of the moment, these flashes of inspiration can easily be lost. It doesn’t matter if the note is captured in analog or digital form; simply capturing the information to be acted on later is key.
Sometimes, creating a format for teams to share perspectives or new insights in a group setting can be a healthy and cathartic exercise. In addition to capturing insightful information, this can be an effective way of reducing stress while building a sense of shared mission.
Planning for Return
Most DR/BC plans consider the departure to a new operational model, but not the return from it. As a CIO, my teams practiced getting to alternative data centers, tested select functional groups (typically on weekends), and were back in business-as-usual mode by Monday morning.
In reality, nothing had really happened because we hadn’t processed a claim, underwritten a policy, or run a batch cycle. Effectively, we had planned a one-way trip. The return can be a completely different event that introduces new challenges, unplanned risks, and a realization that there isn’t a regional or global event going on that can create a backdrop of customer goodwill.
Considering what, and who, gets brought back when is something to start considering sooner rather than later. Risk mitigation strategies can focus on functional areas, geographic groups, or a range of other segmentation approaches that can reduce the potential for things to go sideways when traversing an unfamiliar path. Generally, customers and partners are very accommodating when a broad event is happening but much less so when service outages are self-inflicted.
The Road Ahead
IT organizations have been critical to getting carrier operations online in a remarkably short period of time. Resting on those laurels, however, isn’t something that’s possible now. Circumstances are changing quickly and CIOs need to stay ahead of the curve. Developing a game plan now for the post-pandemic world can be critical for IT organizations wanting to maintain momentum as key assets to their business partners.
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