We were reminded once again on August 29th just how powerful Mother Nature is. Hurricane Ida ripped through our great state leaving mass destruction in her path with no regard to race, religion or party affiliation. This should remind us all that we are mere mortals equal on this earth.
People from Louisiana have always been resilient. Our great state will rebound and pick up right where we left off prior to the destruction Hurricane Ida left us with.
My family and I were fortunate, being in Lafayette, we were west of the storm. As I do before every storm, I start thinking about my readiness. Will my generator hold up? Can I get enough fuel to power this 6,600-watt beast and keep my house functioning at the bare minimum? Did we stock up on enough essentials to last, and how long will that even be? And so on and so forth. I start critiquing my own readiness which at that moment is a bit late.
Just as quickly as I critique my personal situation, I begin to do the same for our company. As the CFO, I think, have I managed cash properly to sustain disbursements for a period of time without collections? How will our vendors and value-added partners handle this setback and what impact will it have on our company? What business interruptions could happen that could adversely impact our business?
My family and I were fortunate, being in Lafayette, we were west of the storm. As I do before every storm, I start thinking about my readiness. Will my generator hold up? Can I get enough fuel to power this 6,600 watt beast and keep my house functioning at the bare minimum? Did we stock up on enough essentials to last, and how long will that even be? And so on and so forth. I start critiquing my own readiness which at that moment, is a bit late.
Just as quickly as I critique my personal situation, I begin to do the same for our company. As the CFO, I think, have I managed cash properly to sustain disbursements for a period of time without collections? How will our vendors and value-added partners handle this setback and what impact will it have on our company? What business interruptions could happen that could adversely impact our business?
I am proud to say that General Informatics was just as prepared. We are an IT company and we test systems all the time to make sure we are ready. Starting on Monday, our Birmingham office handled all the phone traffic coming in with customers needing assistance. Birmingham was able to troubleshoot customer issues and be that assuring voice on the other side assisting our customers as they tried desperately to move forward. On Monday, I drove to Baton Rouge bringing water and other food essentials to the office for anyone who was in need. It was evident when driving to the office, the city had taken a beating from Hurricane Ida the morning before. When I walked into the office, I found one of our customer service specialists working by himself. This gentleman had driven back from Texas and stopped in the office to assist a customer. No one asked him to do this, he chose to do this on his own.
On Tuesday, more and more of our customer service personnel either came to the office or began working remote. This is because of our “WHY” and what we believe starts at the very top thanks to Don, our CEO and President. These folks chose to go straight to work, whether it was in the office or remote, because they have the same mindset as our leadership; provide a quality service, second to none to our customers. At General Informatics we don’t sell products or commodities, we sell a professional service. To be clear, neither Don, nor I, nor any member of the leadership team taught this core value; they already had it! In fact, you can’t get hired here if you don’t have it. When leaders demonstrate by example, the following words from Abraham Lincoln, hundreds of years later, still ring true; “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.” Do you know what the best part is? I get to work with these people every day!
On Tuesday, more and more of our customer service personnel either came to the office or, began working remote. This is because of our “WHY” and what we believe starts at the very top thanks to Don, our CEO and President. These folks chose to go straight to work, whether it was in the office or remote, because they have the same mindset as our leadership; provide a quality service, second to none to our customers.
At General Informatics we don’t sell products or commodities, we sell a professional service. To be clear, Don nor I nor any member of the leadership team taught this core value, they already had it! In fact, you can’t get hired here if you don’t have it. When leaders demonstrate by example, the following words from Abraham Lincoln, hundreds of years later, still ring true; “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.” Do you know what the best part is? I get to work with these people every day!
People at General Informatics DO make the Difference!
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle proves this fact, and it goes like this:
Why: We believe in serving our customers with a Can Do – Will Do Attitude.
How: We do this by first understanding and analyzing our customers’ individual needs and then bundling the correct products with a professional service that is second to none.
What: We are a full-service Managed Service Provider.
People at General Informatics DO make the Difference!
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle proves this fact, and it goes like this:
Why: We believe in serving our customers with a Can Do – Will Do Attitude.
How: We do this by first understanding and analyzing our customers individual needs and then bundling the correct products with a professional service second to none.
What: We are a full-service, Managed Service Provider.
Let us help you prepare for the next Hurricane Ida. Don’t wait like I have and end up questioning your readiness. Come and experience that Can Do – Will Do Attitude and give us a chance to assist you moving forward and create your preparedness plan. As a Managed Service Provider to hundreds of active customers, we have designed our own Risk Management Policy and Procedures to be prepared for such events. So, let us share this knowledge with you. It won’t cost you a thing!
We strongly believe and support the communities we work in and want as many people to feel comfort in knowing that they are prepared. Without all of us, we would not be a community. As much as I think everyone needs General Informatics, we need your services too! So, your success is our success.
Our Business Development Managers and System Engineers will help you analyze your technology and provide you with a solution. And please don’t forget, if you call and meet with us, as always, I’ll personally make sure you get that pint of Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream, which we all know is our founder Mohit Vij’s favorite.
Have a wonderful day and stay safe, my friends.
If your business has been affected by Hurricane Ida and you need technical help, please contact us by calling 225-767-7670 or 504-322-4097.
