Doomsday prepping has been popular among some groups of people for a few decades. In recent years, with the rise of social media, prepping has become a full-blown trend. So much so that even high-profile tech companies are jumping on the bandwagon. 

Take, for instance, Israel’s largest IT company, Aman Group. 

Disaster recovery 

“There is always more technological need than there are capabilities in a country,” Shabtai Koren, who oversees Aman’s international activity, tells ISRAEL21c. 

Founded 50 years ago, the company has long been established as a leading tech solutions provider. In recent years, the group recognized that a variety of potential crises have a good chance of materializing, both domestically and abroad. 

As part of its preparation process, the Petah Tikva-based company began to establish development centers all over the world, becoming one of the pioneers of offshoring business models in Israel. 

The idea is to acquire existing tech companies domestically and in the countries “near shore,” in areas with a similar time zone, and mobilize them in times of emergency. 

Although these foreign companies’ operations remain independent on a daily basis, they serve as a contingency for the business that acquires them during crises. 

In the IT industry, this process is known as “disaster recovery.” The process relies on the replication of data and computer processing in an offshore location not affected by the disaster.

When doomsday comes to life 

“In Israel we have disasters here and there,” admits Koren. 

Israel’s most recent disaster is, of course, the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza. 

Thanks to its subsidiaries, Aman was able to help essential businesses in Israel stay afloat and provide services even as hundreds of its employees were away on reserve duty. 

“First we had to identify the areas where each of these companies needed help,” explains Koren.

“Then, we had to identify the people from our ecosystem who could help provide the solutions, and help the Israeli companies to overcome the uncertain period.” 

Cap shutterstock_672277924: Doomsday prep helps companies keep all the dominos from falling. Photo by Eakachai Leesin via Shutterstock.com

Aman’s clients following the October 7 attacks were businesses whose failure would have plunged the country into an even deeper crisis. These include banks, insurance and telecommunication companies, and the military itself. 

The three principles 

As of now, Aman Group employs 2,500 people in Israel and 1,500 abroad, and owns 11 subsidiaries, domestically and internationally.

It conducts its international activity based on three principles. 

“Firstly, the assets we acquire are based in countries that are sympathetic to Israel,” explains Koren.

So far, it has bought companies in a dozen countries, including Poland, Serbia and Portugal. Aman also forged cooperation deals with companies based in Croatia, Georgia, Moldova, Albania and others.

“Secondly, 50 percent of Aman’s operations must be based in Israel. We don’t just want to be exporters of knowledge. We want to import it as well, to create positive chemistry with the foreign companies,” he says.

“Thirdly, the fields we specialize in must vary.” 

Currently, Aman provides services in the fields of data, cyber and information security, knowledge management, tech development and infrastructure, supply chain and manpower solutions in offshoring business models.

What does the future hold?

Crises appear to be never ending in Israel, and it certainly has an impact on the country’s technological ecosystem. 

“Digitized essential enterprises, such as banks and insurance firms, will most likely continue operating as normal even during crises,” says Koren. 

“Investments in military-related technology will significantly increase in the near future because of these crises. We were not prepared for October 7 and that needs to change before the next war breaks out,” he notes.

Koren explains that startups producing tech that could be relevant to the military will also most likely thrive. 

“When it comes to other startups, I have a hard time giving a prediction because these companies depend mostly on foreign investment,” admits Koren. 

“But the creativity of the Startup Nation will still be here even after the war.”

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