Businesses have been struggling because of the full-fledged war in the heart of Europe. Even though the war has had a terrible impact on the Ukrainian economy, the IT sector has become a rare bright spot. As soon as Russia invaded Ukraine, there were battles in the east and north of the country, affecting the country’s and the world’s IT markets and forcing them to move their offices to ensure business continuity and employee security. Because Russia was being aggressive, the tech companies had to act quickly to meet the new challenges. Those were the measures that defined whether companies and the people standing behind them could work. Also, steps had to be taken to keep the service quality at a high level so that clients of development companies wouldn’t have been affected by the temporary uncertainty.
In this article, we will look at the IT market landscape in a new war-ridden reality. You will also learn how HebronSoft works amid the war and ensures business continuity.
THE OVERVIEW OF THE IT MARKET IN UKRAINE
Before the invasion, Ukraine had set plans to become the largest IT hub in Europe. With the launch of Diya City, a unique tax and legal space for IT businesses, Volodymir Zelensky predicted that the industry would increase the GDP by 4% to 10% and that the domain’s revenue would grow by up to $ 16.5 billion.
While there is a devastating impact on the Ukrainian economy because of hostilities, the IT sector has become a rare ray of sunshine. Even though there is a war going on, the export of IT services has grown by 23% in the first half of 2022 compared to the same half of 2021.
It means that severe conditions and military actions do not cripple Ukraine’s tech potential. On the contrary, this sector is an oasis of stability and a rare source of optimism.
How Hebron Soft Is Handling the New Reality
As an international company, Hebron Soft has delivery offices in Romania and Ukraine. The Ukrainian offices are located in the Western part of the country, which hasn’t been affected by active military actions. They also have a winning location as they are close to EU and NATO bases.
The main office is situated in Lviv, which is 50 miles from the Polish border. In early 2022, we opened a new office in Khust, nearly 10 miles from the Romanian border. As of now, we are in the process of setting up bridge offices across the EU and the USA.
Our people and business continuity are the things we cherish the most. So we immediately acted on the dangerous situation in the country to ensure both our staff and business processes were not interrupted. Here is what we did and keep doing to ensure no agreement is broken and all the terms are met:
- Staff relocation. Those employees and their families who worked remotely from high-risk zones were relocated to safer places within Ukraine or neighboring EU countries. They also got financial assistance to handle the challenge of relocation.
- Donations and volunteering. Hebron Soft donates money to fundraising organizations that support our army and deliver humanitarian relief.
- Support of the country’s economy. None of the employees has been fired or set on unpaid sick leave since the beginning of the war. Our company also enriches the budget of Ukraine by paying taxes.
- IT infrastructure protection. All the IT resources of our company have been moved to EU servers to ensure the smooth performance of hosted assets during wartime.
- New project planning strategy. These days, we consider possible risks when planning project execution (like blackouts or the inability of some team members to work because of hostilities).
At HebronSoft, we understand the concerns of doing business with a development company located in a country at war. But our official position, and the belief of every team member, is the following. Even though hostilities are considered insuperable force, we are loyal to the agreements we have signed and will deliver services as negotiated in the contract.
Hebron Soft Business Continuity Plan Response to Possible Escalation
Before the Russian invasion, HebronSoft developed a business continuity plan (BCP) that defined how the company would respond to different scenarios depending on the war stage. These scenarios include the following cases:
Plan A: Active War Actions
This scenario involves a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. So, basically, we stick to this plan now.
According to it, the Western part of Ukraine is relatively safe. By this, we mean that no active hostilities are taking place in the territory. However, there is the likelihood of drone and missile attacks.
So, what we have already done and what we will keep doing is:
- Relocate people from high-risk areas to our new locations in Khust and Shayan, neighboring villages.
- While 90% of our employees are safe in Lviv, we still consider relocating them to the nearest European countries if they feel the threat to their life in this city.
- We implement and maintain data and IT infrastructure mechanisms that ensure all the assets work smoothly.
- Our company is undergoing ISO certification (we have already covered 70% of the requirements) to deliver high-level services under any circumstances.
Plan B: Potential Full Power Outage
As Russia launched attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, the situation regarding power availability is very unstable. For the purposes of the power economy, Ukrenergo, an electricity transmission system operator, resorts to forced power cuts, leaving people across Ukraine without electricity for a certain period (from 3 to 6 hours).
- Have assembled a backup office in the suburbs of Lviv fully equipped with power generators and Starlinks.
- Equipped Our Khust office with a Starlink and generator.
- We are in the middle of installing solar panels in the Lviv office.
Plan C: Potential War Escalation with Hostilities in Western Ukraine
In the event that the military situation goes out of control, our company has a plan of action. As we care the most about our people and clients’ interests, we will act in the following way:
- Urgently relocate our employees and their families to Khust and Shayan, which are less than 10 miles away from Romania, a country with NATO bases. These offices have Starlinks and generators, which will allow teams to fulfill customers’ commitments.
- Women and children will be relocated to Romania, Baia Mare. Male Ukrainian citizens aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from crossing the border unless they have special circumstances.
Projecting the Future of the IT Sector and HebronSoft Performance
This decade has brought plenty of challenges to the world and Ukraine in particular. The annexation of Crimea, the start of the war in Donbas, the Covid-19 pandemic, and now a full-scale war in Ukraine have shattered the world order. However, none of these events stopped the people of Ukraine.
Before 2022 while the country was at war in the Eastern part, Ukraine showed stable increasing trends in the economy. It mitigated the shrinking GDP after the Crimea annexation and further geopolitical escalation in Donbas. The annual GDP growth reached 9%, which accelerated the development of businesses and stabilized the economic situation in the country.
Positive trends were traced in the IT sector as well. BBC recognized the dynamic and vibrant IT ecosystem that drove major corporations like Google, Samsung, and Oracle toward Ukrainian tech companies.
Even during the dark times of a full-scale war, the IT domain remains the island of economic stability. IT companies have adapted to the change and currently, 85% of team members are fully involved in the implementation of the client’s projects. Because of the ongoing delivery of services, the industry remains financially stable and capable of fulfilling commitments given to clients without compromising quality. In this way, tech companies also support the economy of Ukraine, which is crucial in times of war.
The people of Ukraine and our company have learned to work and deliver high-quality development services under any circumstances. So, as a software development company with a robust continuity plan, HebronSoft is here to help you digitally transform your business to achieve your objectives. There is hardly a situation when we won’t be able to meet the terms we have arranged at the outset. At HebronSoft, we strive to meet your expectations and do our best to ensure you get what you expect from us. In the end, we would like to express our deep gratitude to our existing and new clients. Thank you for your understanding, tremendous support, and willingness to assist. For our part, we eagerly share our knowledge and expertise to help you upscale your business with new technology.