An increase in disturbing Russian military activity near the border with Ukraine has made Ukraine, the US, the EU, and the world monitor the security situation, preparing for different scenarios. Lviv IT Cluster is monitoring current events, analyzing data and expert opinions for providing the necessary support for all member companies of our community.
From a survey we conducted among Lviv IT Cluster’s companies regarding external threats (IT Monitoring Research Report has already been sent to all Cluster’s members), almost 57% of companies have created an action plan in case of various possible scenarios, such as Russian military action against Ukraine in the unoccupied territory, or the imposition of martial law. Lviv IT Cluster launched an Emergency Response Project, aiming to provide comprehensive support to our member companies for those who aren’t prepared yet.
The overall preparedness of Ukraine’s tech industry to quickly respond to the emerging external risks is high. There has been military action going on in Eastern Ukraine since 2014 that has been crimping our economy in every region and every industry. For the most part, citizens and businesses have adapted to new living and working conditions. The tech industry in Lviv and across Ukraine keeps growing despite Russia’s acts of aggression and despite the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. The revenue of Lviv’s IT industry has been rising over the past 6 years, with an average annual increase of 20%, according to an analytical study of IT Research. Lviv’s IT industry in 2020 also showed strong growth dynamics – 78 new companies opened offices, despite the massive challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analytical data seems to be fairly convincing, yet not enough to describe all the details. For businesses confronting an urgent need to effectively manage their workforce amid the political tensions and the negative media coverage, foreign companies are opening offices in Ukraine whilst Cluster’s companies are opening new development centers across Ukraine, in particular, in the Northern and Eastern regions. Lviv IT Cluster’s companies provide a full range of services and on-time deliveries to international clients. At present we have no actual evidence of the termination of the contract for non-compliance between Cluster’s companies and foreign customers caused by Russia’s military threats to Ukraine.
Lviv IT Cluster has deemed its necessary for member companies to remain engaged and continue to work, despite these challenging circumstances. However, we ask our community members to create an emergency action plan in advance to effectively predict and tackle negative consequences. It’s better to be prepared for the worst-case scenarios at all times! Therefore, Lviv IT Cluster has launched an Emergency Response Project to support community members that include:
- BCP-team, Lviv IT Cluster’s team created to support companies preparing for potential external threats and help them overcome them effectively;
- Periodic market research to make sure companies are prepared for external risks and threats.
- Conferences and webinars with industry experts to share experiences in preparing businesses for different levels of risk and uncertainty that come with escalating military activities.
- A separate channel of discussion on business security-related topics between Lviv IT Cluster’s members.
Lviv IT Cluster is an association of 190 leading tech companies with offices located in the city of Lviv. Unity is extremely important, especially given the news coming out of escalating threats. The emergency response project by Lviv IT Cluster provides support to all our member companies regardless of the size of their business, to jointly anticipate and address current security challenges.