Alec Kay 

Here’s a moral dilemma. 

Midnight and all is quiet in a family residence in the city of Brisbane. The baby is finally settled – four hours to the next feed. Exhausted wife already asleep in the bed next to you and you’re just about to drop off when there is a knock at the front door. Standing at your doorstep is your customer’s IT Service Support Manager in a mild but composed panic. 

Do you - slam the door in his face, phone for the police, set a large dog on him or invite him in? 

This was the conundrum that faced Mark Hunter, our Program Domain Infrastructure Team Leader, late one night during the Queensland flood crisis. 

He chose to invite him in, partly because he’s a good bloke and partly because he doesn’t have a dog. 

It was then explained to him that as a result of the Queensland flood disaster the decision had been made by local authorities to cut off power in the Brisbane CBD at 7 am the following morning. In response his company wanted to power down its State Headquarters (SHQ) to protect its IT assets but still wanted its Retail Stores to be able to function. 

They moved to the dining room and a conference call was set up with the company’s IT Incident Management team – Mark even put his dressing gown on just to add an air of professionalism to the proceedings. A decision was made, plans were drawn up and Mark went to work. 

After working all through the night, Mark implemented the plan – the SHQ was safely shut down and all retail sites and outlets could do business as usual. Then, despite working through the night Mark was still at work on time the following morning to support the Business Continuity Plan and provide leadership and technical expertise for his team. 

The subsequent feedback from the customer was that they were amazed with Mark's professionalism, willingness to go the extra mile and composure in their time of need. It was also acknowledged that this was a true reflection of the culture and approach of UXC Connect to support the business and that they probably wouldn’t have this level of commitment from any other IT provider. 

To end on a happy note, the business is delighted, Mark’s wife is now talking to him again and although he says he would do it again if the situation ever arose he has also said that he’s planning to buy a large dog.