Hurricane Season is Fast Approaching: WesTec's BDR Service Can Help

  

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Source: Rackmount Solutions (online newsletter)

Mitigate the Effects of Disasters

The recent earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis in Japan serve as dramatic examples of the types of events that can destroy an organization's resources. Other disasters across the United States and around the world, from tornadoes to wildfires to ice storms, highlight the fact that major disasters can strike anywhere, anytime.

However, even disasters that seem minor in comparison, such as building fires, water leaks, power outages and hardware failures, can cause untold amounts of damage to a data center. Protecting hardware is an important addition to any disaster recovery plan and is essential for a quick return to normal operations.

Plan for the worst

Business continuity planning, also known as disaster recovery (DR) planning, goes a long way toward ensuring that a data center can weather the storms that come its way. Many organizations have developed backup and failover systems that are designed to allow the businesses to continue running if a primary server location is disabled. But often, DR plans are either incomplete or not updated regularly.

As you develop or review your DR plan, consider obtaining input from a third party that can provide an objective assessment of your organization's vulnerability. As Processor notes, qualified professionals can provide a business impact analysis (BIA) that can reveal not only the potential costs of a data center outage, but also the best ways to protect your data and infrastructure.

Implement physical protection

Physical security for your servers is crucial during any disaster. Your plan should include physical protection against damage as well as theft during the chaos of a disaster.

Create redundancies for power and cooling

In your continuity plan, include backup provisions for:

• emergency lights
• electricity
• cooling systems
• power surge protectors

Test backup batteries, generators and uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems regularly.

Set up monitoring and alerts

Your server room should include monitoring systems that will alert you to:

• water leaks
• smoke
• dust
• seismic activity
• temperature changes
• humidity changes

Many monitoring systems include a variety of sensor types, including wireless sensors, and can be controlled through a central facilities dashboard. These systems enable personnel to respond to alerts instantly and avoid problems before servers are seriously damaged.

If possible, do not locate the server room in a basement, which is more likely to flood than a room on a higher level. Your server room also should not have windows that could break or leak during a disaster.

Ensure physical security

Verify that your server room is completely secured and adequately protected from theft at all times. Keep all equipment in secure areas and strategic locations.

• Locate server rooms in a secure part of the building.
• Install and regularly check door locks.
• Check and update access codes to your electronic security system regularly, especially if you've had any personnel turnover.
• Keep an updated inventory of all server room equipment.
• Use enclosed server racks, which provide an additional deterrent to thieves and also protect against physical damage from jarring, dust and debris.

At the same time, it is crucial to have a plan for allowing authorized personnel to access the data center in the event of a security system failure during a disaster.

A DR plan is always a work in progress

Developing your DR plan and installing physical protective measures are only the first steps toward actually surviving a disaster. Once you have created a DR plan, you should rigorously and thoroughly test it, then adjust it as directed by the testing process.

And even after you feel your DR plan is solid, never take it for granted. Actively use it by continuing to test and review it at regular intervals. Given the rapid changes in technology and business practices, Processor recommends a thorough test and revision of your DR plan each quarter.

Finally, because people are the real key to business continuity, make sure your DR plan considers human elements. For example, make sure that you have appropriate and adequate evacuation and communication plans in place for disasters. Be sure that if a disaster strikes, every person in your organization knows his or her role in the DR plan.

WesTec Services, A Houston IT provider that offers a wide range of services including: Network Installation/Service, Telephone Systems/Service, Video Surveillance/Access Control and Office Equipment

CALL TODAY at (713) 682-4000