SPOTLIGHT – ALMANDO COX

‘BUSINESS IN THE UNUSUAL’

by Andre Heslop

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect every business and every industry throughout economies of the world. Every business type, from the largest to the smallest, whether commercial or productionbased, has either had to regroup, rethink and in some cases remain closed as they navigate the challenges brought on by the virus. Some companies are still in recovery mode while others have managed what they can look back on as the stormy days. Resolve IT Limited is one such company that has been able to successfully navigate its business. Almando Cox is the Chief Executive Officer of Resolve IT Limited, a full-service IT company that helps to accelerate business performance using technological products and services. Almando started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age. The first of his many ventures was a pencil sharpener repair business which included replacing blades and screws for fellow classmates and teachers, a journey which has led him to managing his own Information Technology (IT) company and boasting over 20 years of experience in the field. However, no amount of experience had prepared him for the full effect of the novel coronavirus, a global pandemic that rocked the world to its very core. “As early as March 2020, we closed our doors and took a break from our service centre and focused on our corporate customers,” Almando said. The doors of the business remained closed to the public for approximately 4 months and reopened in July 2020. During this time, Almando and his team pivoted and migrated some of his services online and accelerated development of the company’s e-commerce platform.

Work-from-Home

An islandwide work-from-home order dealt a devastating blow for many businesses but Almando and his team took the time away from the office to work on the back end of the business, its existing systems and create workable strategies for resumption of operations when the order was lifted. “We took the time to reduce our backlog and caught up on a lot of business. We even did some recruitment, resulting from an internal restructuring exercise in a time when most businesses were laying off,” Almando explained. The company has since implemented strategic measures to dampen the effects of the global pandemic on its business such as a Risk Management System influenced by the experience gained throughout the pandemic and an Infection Prevention Control Protocol to reduce risk to the employees and customers. “The restrictions had played in our favour, for although our service centre was closed for a period, we experienced a spike in our Business-to-Business operations in which we saw that corporate customers needed our services to ensure that business continued regardless of team members’ physical locations,” he added.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Almando Cox

Business in the New Normal

The business environment has shifted and it is likely that there will be a level of uncertainty in the short term. Curfew implementation and stay-at-home orders have been disrupting businesses at all levels and a key factor in fighting this disruption is for businesses and institutions to remain agile. The ‘new normal’ of business operation will include some form of digitisation by way of files, storage, payment, etc. Almando has identified 4 core services that an entrepreneur will need to be successful in this new normal: i. They will need a form of communication facility, whether it be through the use of emails, Microsoft Teams, chat tools on their website or apps so they can engage with their clients and staff where they are and in real-time. ii. Productivity tools is another core service that business owners will need such as the Microsoft Suite of applications or line of business systems (e.g. QuickBooks for an accounting firm). iii. With most services and information migrating to online platforms, Cyber Security must be a major consideration in this

‘new normal’. Monetary transactions are now being conducted online and through e-commerce platforms and the protection of customer’s personal information (banking and others) must be a priority. Security awareness is not only for the customers and their data but also for the organisation and its sensitive information. iv. A business’s focus is often placed solely on producing and exchanging information, but often overlooked is the need to backup this information onsite or offsite. Almando recommends that businesses should invest in backup systems such as cloud based or remote based storage. ResolveIT is an approved Business Development Organisation of the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and has partnered to assist entrepreneurs in their digital transformation through a Go Digital Voucher Assistance Programme. The Go Digital Voucher Assistance Programme was created in response to aid local entrepreneurs to reduce the effects of covid-19 on business operations through digital transformation. Almando is also a beneficiary of the JBDC Accelerator Programme and bears the coveted title, 2020 JBDC B.O.S.S MAN OF THE YEAR!