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We live in a volatile world. If there was ever any doubt of that, recent events
have proven that we are indeed vulnerable, and need to take extra precautions to
protect ourselves. And the same holds true for business and certainly for our
communication infrastructures a few minutes is all it takes to bring down a
network from the outside by destroying equipment and severing lines, or to
cripple it from the inside through malicious hacking. Septembers events have
compelled many of us to sit back and grapple with big ideas like our mortality,
the power of religion, and the motivations behind war. But then there are the
practical considerations of protecting ourselves and our families, and our
businesses. Because business is king in the US, and if business ceases to
function, the rest of our democracy threatens to crumble.
IT departments must now ask themselves some very important questions: Are we
prepared for an emergency? Will our network infrastructure be protected in the
event of a physical attack? Do we have a proper schematic of the hardware and
software deployed throughout our enterprise? Will information be backed up in a
safe location in the event of a disaster? How well is our network guarded
against hackers and viruses? If there is any doubt about the level of readiness
to withstand an attack or disruption, businesses must finally ask: Would we be
better off outsourcing some or all of our fragile infrastructure to an
experienced service provider?
THE DECISION TO OUTSOURCE
A report from Salomon Smith
Barney claims the September attacks could force businesses to increase their
telecom spending to meet more broadband capacity needs, secure greater backup
facilities, and purchase more data storage space. Businesses are seeking greater
network redundancy, and as a result, ASPs and service providers could see an
increase in business.
The outsourced opportunity is ideal for a number of reasons. Businesses dont
want to spend a lot of money on infrastructure and personnel to beef up their
contingency plans. Many companies have completed one or several rounds of
layoffs recently, and money is tight. Outsourced solutions can offer the
redundancy and security required at a minimal expense compared to on-premises
solutions. And upgrades and maintenance arent an issue with a hosted service,
since service providers are on top of keeping systems secure and up to date.
They have to be its been stipulated in the service level agreement (SLA)
negotiated at the time the service was contracted.
Outsourcing also offers flexibility, since everything from data storage to
Web hosting to network security and performance management to entire enterprise
communications solutions may be offered on a hosted basis. And of course,
service providers networks and data storage facilities are redundant, to
protect both provider and customer in the event the provider is affected by
disaster. And a service providers equipment and facilities are generally
better prepared to withstand disaster than say, your typical downtown office
space.
THE BIGGER PICTURE FOR DISASTER RECOVERY
The Yankee Group published
information on overall business continuity vs. disaster recovery after the
September attacks. Disaster recovery, clearly a segment of the IT world that is
doing well in the wake of this tragedy, is only one component of an overall
business continuity plan according to their findings. A full plan consists of
design, implementation, and continuous operation of an IT delivery
infrastructure that can meet the needs of an enterprise on an ongoing and
end-to-end basis. The program should consist of: Software versions/releases in
use, licensing issues, data and application distribution,
administration/ownership, bandwidth and connectivity, operations and procedures,
system performance and availability, and security access, according to Yankee.
Among other things, the Yankee Group points to outsourced services as a risk
mitigation option, since outsourcing allows businesses to focus on their core
competencies. And ASPs can offer mirrored solutions for immediate disaster
recovery, as well as problem resolution expertise for speedy delivery of
services for regular backup, performance monitoring, and security. ASPs can also
offer expertise in the development and design of an overall business continuity
plan.
In the wake of the World Trade Center attacks, IBM
reportedly helped 1,200 customers in the ground zero area restore their IT
systems offsite, reroute their networks, and develop better business recovery
plans. Service provider Comdisco said 35
percent of its business recovery space in North America was occupied as a result
of the September attacks and fear of additional attacks.
Its unfortunate that we must live in a world where we have to look over
our shoulders and plan ahead for unforeseen disasters. But planning ahead has
always been a harsh reality of life and business, and recent events have
emphasized the importance of being prepared. We must be ready for the worst, and
we must do our best to ensure businesses function during an emergency. We have
the technology and solutions to safeguard our business information and our
communications. Failure to protect them will lead to our economic downfall and a
disruption of our democracy, which is ultimately a success for those who seek to
destroy it.
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