Are You Really Prepared?
After surviving the “storm of the century” this past week in California I observed how . . .
After surviving the “storm of the century” this past week in California I observed how ill-prepared the world is (computer-wise) when a disaster hits. It’s not only a matter of the lack of electricity, but the possible damage or total destruction of your facilities. Damage from flooding, snow, mudslides, and hurricane-strength winds can change your world in an instant.
Even though you religiously perform backups every night (you do, don’t you?) they won’t help if your computer system is damaged or destroyed. Do you have another physical site that can offer even limited services? Do you have a hardware vendor that can supply overnight replacement? And, if so, do you have a facility in which can use the replacement equipment? Probably, the answer to the above questions is “No!”
Do you have a manual operations plan for when your computer system is not available? Has the plan ever been tested? Do you have recent hard copies of work orders, inventory levels, customer and vendor information, etc.? Is this information available for emergency access and quick removal?
If you’re on your own phone system, do you have at least one provider-powered or over phone devices that don’t rely on electrical power? If you have any other equipment that requires power, do you have manual powered alternatives?
Is your UPS powerful enough to withstand multiple hits from brown outs and total power outages? How old is it? Eventually their ability to protect your system diminishes to a point where it is no longer protecting your equipment.
If the answer to any of the above is basically “No,” you need to ask yourself how long can your business survive without serving your customers? In watching the effects of the recent storms, I wonder if some of our local businesses will weather the storm, or will their customers find alternate providers for now and maybe for the future.