They look empty, often fully furnished, but without staff. These are not new robotic offices, but so-called replacement workplaces which must guarantee non-stop operation. They are usually located some distance from the headquarters of insurance and assistance companies, and they are completely independent from their infrastructure. They also must have different telephone lines and internet security. Therefore, to be able to guarantee uninterrupted client service.
Recently, AXA Assistance has acquired a space in the Hrušov-Ostrava district for this purpose. It’s located in Office Centrum Ostrava, near the insurance brokers Ostrava base in the Nová Karolina Park complex. According to the BNP Paribas Real Estate advisory team (who mediated the transaction), this "back-up solution" or "disaster recovery" is a rarely mentioned component of the office market. At the same time, insurance and brokerage companies are among to the most active tenants in this sector.
“The back-up office has a number of conditions and limitations. It‘s far from being a formal affair. That´s why the search for AXA space was surprisingly long,” says Lena Popová, the head of the Office Leasing Department, who was in charge of this particular project for BNP Paribas Real Estate.
One of the main reasons which influenced the length of the search for suitable space was the market in Ostrava itself. Due to a limited demand for Category A offices, the older administrative space office available is limited.
Further restrictions came from technical requirements. These included, for example, the connection of a global Internet provider, autonomous telephone lines and specially secured servers. On top of all this, there is also a need for a quality connection to public transport. "Primarily, the network connectivity was the most important factor in the client's final decision," adds Lena Popová.
