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November 28, 2016 How To

Prepare a data center for disaster recovery

Mike Reed
By Mike Reed

The top 15 employers in the state of Maine are all medical centers, universities, financial institutions or government entities. All of these organizations have something else in common — they have serious privacy and security concerns and are under pressure to protect their business systems, applications and data.

These Maine organizations, and many others, must develop comprehensive disaster recovery plans to keep their operations running smoothly. Disaster recovery refers to the strategies, procedures and contingencies an organization uses to recover tech resources after an unplanned IT outage or network disruption. These resources include the software, data and hardware involved in carrying out mission-critical tech operations. Without these resources, an organization can suffer devastating consequences, including lost revenue, customers, productivity, equipment and brand loyalty.

As you develop or review a disaster plan, a good first step is to evaluate your data center locations — the ones you operate and third-party sites you use. These should include your primary data center where your business systems run as well secondary data centers, which are available as back-up sites.

Many organizations are moving company systems to facilities operated by data center providers. When considering a third-party provider, consider the following:

  • Infrastructure that ensures consistent power to computing resources in the data center is absolutely critical for a disaster recovery site. Business owners need to know that they will not lose access to their systems due to a power outage at their data center site. When evaluating a service provider, check that they have battery and generator backup.
  • If the primary data center goes offline you need to be able to tap into the disaster recovery site quickly and reliably. A service provider needs to be able to deliver 24/7 connectivity through a high-speed data network.
  • When data center infrastructure is of paramount importance, business owners should also consider the expertise and availability of the on-site staff. Many service providers have experts on site that can help you troubleshoot any issues that arise. These experts can also help perform some management tasks, if you are unable to be at the data center in-person.

Outside the data center

Businesses too often overlook the physical environment where the data center resides. The location of the data center can affect the performance, security and costs associated with a disaster recovery site, so they must be considered.

  • The building that the data center is housed in should be evaluated. Some service providers may cut corners by hosting their data center in a hastily built warehouse, while others offer a more secure and stable environment designed to limit exposure to the elements, with a service center structure that was designed for tech equipment and data traffic.
  • The city or town where the data center is located matters. While service providers may gravitate to major metropolitan areas like Boston, providers located in smaller areas can be more affordable due to lower costs on real estate, taxes and power. Still, areas that are too rural may lack public transportation systems and proximity to main highways, airports and train stations that enable easy access to the data center. It is best to look for an area where you can tap into the best of both worlds.

The result: peace of mind

Developing a sound disaster recovery plan is a key factor in determining how well your organization will respond to an unexpected outage. Your primary goal is to successfully manage a crisis without suffering significant losses in cost, productivity or customer service. By evaluating potential secondary data center sites both inside and out, you can rest assured that you have the right infrastructure in place to support your disaster recovery plan.

Mike Reed is FairPoint Communications' Maine state president and has more than 45 years of experience in the telecom industry. He is based in Portland. 

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