Aug 2, 2005
The Broadhurst Report:
Preparing for the Worst
By Guy Broadhurst
One question I am hearing more and more often these days is what to do if (or when) the worst happens. Such questions often come on the heels of hurricanes in Florida, tornadoes in the south and central states and mudslides and earthquakes in California. The forces of Nature can have a major impact on businesses and, for those companies engaged in time-sensitive document production, the disruption can be devastating.
The first question I hear is how quickly can we can ship printers. But putting printers on a truck is the easy part. Even building new servers--virtually all are custom-builds these days--is not too difficult as the parts are normally available. Re-establishing the rest of the network that keeps your critical systems running is a far more formidable task. Water damaged wiring can take weeks to replace, as can other parts of electrical and air conditioning systems. Without this infrastructure, your newly arrived printers can't be used. Likewise, the pre- and post-processing machinery may not be replaced as quickly as the print engines because it is frequently custom-configured and must be built to your specific requirements. A further consideration is paper, especially if job specifications or SLAs require use of a special stock or preprinted forms.
Because of the complexity involved we usually recommend customers prepare for disaster in different ways, depending on the characteristics of their operations.
- Redundancy in a separate, owned operation. Even medium-sized service bureaus often have additional facilities in different parts of the country that can provide back-up for operations. Ideally, the same equipment can be installed in each location, ensuring jobs can run the same way, and even makes it possible to temporarily relocate staff without the need for additional training.
- Have an emergency agreement in place with another company to handle work in case of a disaster. It's important that this be with a company in a different geographical area to ensure continuity of operations. A service bureau in Florida, for example, might partner with another in the Midwest to provide mutual support should it become necessary. If you're not familiar with any potential firms, talk to your equipment vendors. They may be able to recommend another customer with similar equipment with whom you could form a mutual backup agreement.
- Have all your data backed up in a remote location. This rule goes back to the days of big mainframes and disk platters, but it is just as true today. Your data is mission critical and must be kept secure away from your main location--even in a different time zone. There are numerous data storage companies that perform this function on a contract basis. Alternatively, companies with multiple operations routinely back up files to their alternative site on a daily basis as a standard security measure.
- Less customization can be better. While most equipment today is customized to a customer's needs, the more off-the-shelf components that are used in a particular configuration, the easier it can be to replace and get up and running following a disruption. Whether it is a server or a print engine, for example, Océ equipment uses standardized parts for just this reason.
Beyond the immediate need
These approaches cover the immediate need when the wind and water arrives or when the earth shifts. Beyond this, businesses should have written plans for how they will rebuild their location and get their operations running again. The actual undertaking is expensive in every way, but it will go far more smoothly if there is a carefully thought out, documented strategy in place. Such a plan must encompass all equipment, physical plant infrastructure, staff utilization and compensation during the rebuilding period, and even contingencies within service level agreements.
Service providers have an obligation to protect their customers' interests, and part of which is an obligation to protect their own interests. I encourage you not to dismiss developing your own disaster recovery strategy. I hope and pray that you never need to find out how well it works, but because the very life of your business can be at stake, it is a wise move to prepare for the worst--while hoping it never comes.