The ancient Romans were made famous by their pioneering work in art and literature. Patrons from across the globe would travel to one of Rome’s many grand amphitheaters to enjoy the cutting-edge in stage performance drama.
Though the Roman Empire is no more, its many contributions to the arts still stand. Today’s books and movies are undeniably shaped by the Roman legacy. One of the most famous plot devices the Romans invented is called deus ex machina – literally translated “god from the machine.”
The device is used to bring closure and relief to a long and hopeless situation that seems to have no possible good ending. You may be familiar with the idea already! A current day example includes H. G. Wells’ well loved novel (and now movie) The War of the Worlds, where martians land on earth and conquer all human resistance. The entire story describes one hopeless loss after another – by the end the martians have won and mankind is sure to be nothing but a distant memory. The story ends, however, when the martians are all killed by Earth’s microscopic bacteria, from which they had no immunities.
deus ex machina – literally translated ‘god from the machine.’
Not by any contribution or effort of their own, Mankind is now saved and is free from the destructive might of the alien oppressors! What seemed only a grim and bleak outlook suddenly and without expectation or prediction became a happy ending.
Deus ex Machina in Business
What sets deus ex machina apart from other plot devices is that it is completely outside of human prediction or control, and always happens at the point of most desperation – certainly not something we can rely on in our own business! Yet many business owners today act as if this imagined plot device exists in real life and will be there when disaster strikes.
Convergent has instilled the latin phrase pro mercator non est deus ex machina into the life-blood of our own business and takes a strong stance with every one of our customers to do the same. The phrase can be translated simply: “for the business owner, there is no such thing as deus ex machina.” In other words, since calamities will come sooner or later, business owners must do what they can to prepare by implementing preventative measures for those things which can be prevented, and recovery measures for those which can’t.
pro mercator non est deus ex machina
Most businesses carry insurance – which is helpful and necessary – but don’t have a prevention and recovery plan in place to ensure the business survives. Insurance will help cover the financial liabilities of business, but cannot compensate for lost proprietary information and the unique building blocks of your company.
Convergent’s business continuity planning is free, and getting started is easy.
Meet with your dedicated solutions engineer and/or account manager for a thorough discovery appointment. Convergent will learn your company’s top values and priorities- Convergent leverages its market expertise and portfolio of over 120 suppliers to design a wholistic technology road-map for your company
- Meet with your dedicated solutions engineer to review the plan and discuss company impact. Convergent will provide extensive timelines and expectations.
- Installation dates, deployment schedules, project deadlines, support and escalations: Convergent serves as your ongoing single point of contact for all business technology services.