Synerise business continuity during COVID-19: a message for our people, clients, partners and suppliers

Right from the start, we have built Synerise as an organization that can fully support our clients and partners regardless of external conditions. Current circumstances are showing that we are prepared to deliver on this promise.

We were one of the first companies in Poland to send all employees home so that they could work remotely. There has been no decrease in efficiency and the effects of the transfer from stationary to remote work have been almost imperceptible. It took less than a day to adapt to the new reality. This wouldn’t be possible without the work we did before and the philosophy we implemented throughout the company. 

Our experience in using remote work arrangements and the necessary technological preparation to maintain services in full readiness regardless of the situation have always been a priority. In short, I would like to outline how we have prepared ourselves for the situation we are facing now and how we are currently operating. 

Support for clients and partners

First of all, I would like to emphasize that the current public health crisis has no effect on projects implemented with Synerise clients and partners in any way. We will continue to work as before using various online tools, including Microsoft Teams, JIRA, Slack and our own Service Desk. Contact is also maintained by phone and customer campaigns continue to operate as before. We have moved all meetings online. Other operations, including current recruitment efforts, have also been moved to the online space. 

We are aware that retail sales of certain goods may suffer under current circumstances and in response Synerise is ready to help companies to implement innovations in digital channels to maximize sales and improve strategic KPIs. Our clients can 100% rely on us. We're ready to offer a helping hand in the full optimization of their operations and usage of our technology to achieve maximum effectiveness in marketing, sales and operational activities. 

Security and independence by design 

As a tech company, Synerise is focused on avoiding the risks associated with "vendor locks". This approach applies to the possibility of embedding the Synerise platform on the infrastructure of any cloud solution provider, as well as solutions based on the on-premise model. Also, regarding the on-prem, we can update and configure our platform remotely, as we are equipped with all needed tools and the experience. We work with on-prem clients remotely from the very first day of the integration. 

We also minimized the risk of being dependent on a third-party companies and services. We base on our proprietary technologies e.g. our own In-Memory Database - Terrarium, AI framework - Cleora and APP engines. 

In accordance with our own policy regarding business continuity, we monitor and manage operational, financial and technological risks on an ongoing basis. According to the "Born in cloud" philosophy, Synerise is characterized by: 

• Development of technology fully adapted to remote work: micro assemblies, micro-service architecture, tools for group work and code updates, overlapping capabilities of people working and responsible for individual technological components, staff working across different locations 
• A full system documentation for people inside the company and for cooperating partners (API documentation, development documentation) 
• Complete documentation enabling external entities (including cooperating partners and parties on the client's side) to install and manage Synerise technology in the client's infrastructure 
• Mechanisms prepared for remote configuration and updating of the Synerise platform in both the on-premise environment and in the hybrid formula 
• Appropriate authentication and authorization mechanisms aligned with the best standards (two-factor authentication, regularly required password changes, etc.).

Remote work at Synerise 

Due to the unique demands of our work (24/7/365 availability in different time zones), from the very beginning we've built models of cooperation that are designed to operate on a remote basis. 

Synerise has developed tools tailored to the demands of remote teamwork. Administrators monitor the work of these tools on an ongoing basis (including Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, Confluence, Skype, Zoom), and their variety allows them to be used interchangeably if necessary. 

To ensure proper work conditions and cooperation with clients we recommended in advance (at the beginning of March) and then later ordered our employees to work remotely (March 9). One of our recent blog posts shows how we cope with this on a daily basis. 

Other security measures 

We constantly observe and react to all signals coming from relevant authorities to ensure conformity with health and safety standards. This applies to both legal acts, including regulations and ordinances, as well as the warnings of state services.

We have adapted to measures recommended by the state services to limit the risk of spreading the virus, including: 

• suspension of business trips 
• suspension of organization of events and conferences 
• suspension of employee participation in external events 
• minimizing the number of internal meetings and suspending external meetings 
• promoting hygiene standards and recommendations of the State Sanitary Inspection among staff. 

RESPONSIBILITY THAT MATTERS 

In these exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we must be responsible for all of us: employees, their families and whole society. We must be also prudent and patient. This is a great test for society and business, but I believe that we will succeed in this struggle. I’m confident that we will soon be able to meet in person again to further discuss ambitious joint projects. I wish you all the perseverance, faith and strength needed to take on daily challenges and, above all, good health.