12C — November 23 - December 6, 2012 — The Road to Recovery — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
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T he R oad To R ecoveRy
Following Hurricane Sandy, IBS provides advice on how to be better prepared Power outages and technology 101: What companies need to know
T
ly power outage, how can companies prepare their technology infrastructure? Businesses really need to back up their critical data frequently – not just in anticipation of a power failure – and test the success of these regular back- ups. That said, if there is time to complete a backup before an expected outage, do it. It also is important to regu- larly verify that any uninter- ruptible power supply (UPS) devices are charging. When- ever possible, shut all hardware down and unplug it an hour or two in advance of losing power, never letting equipment go
OTOWA, NJ — In the wake of Hurricane San- dy, even the most di-
Yet according to Dawn Berns- tel, director of customer care for Integrated Business Systems (IBS), a boutique firm that de- velops and supports enterprise technology systems for the com- mercial real estate community, and offers network and design support for companies in di- verse industries – while some things cannot be controlled, companies can take steps to bet- ter prepare themselves for “next time.” In the following Q&A in- terview, Bernstel provides some practical, technology-related advice for small and mid-size businesses. In the event of a like-
down “hard.” Servers, espe- cially, are prone to reboot issues if they have not been shut down properly. What must management and staff take with them when they leave the office? Be sure to take a copy or copies of the latest data backup off site and store the material in a safe, accessible place. Addi- tionally, each employee should leave the office with hard copies of documents containing vital information they may need if they cannot get back into the office, boot up their laptops or access the Internet. At a bare minimum, this includes a list of
staff, client and primary vendor office and cell phone numbers, along with instructions on mak- ing contact with management during and immediately after the power crisis. Likewise, pro- vide clients and vendors with a list of emergency numbers for key staff. During Hurricane Sandy, we learned the value of mobile communication when the land lines were down. Even when cell service is spotty, text messages frequently will go through because they are only small packages of data (as op- posed to streaming voice). Once power is restored, is there a “right way” to get technology back up and run- ning? Bring devices on one at a time, make sure they boot, and watch for warning lights and messages. In many cases hard- ware will turn on automatically when it senses power. Good technology consultants will work with their clients to create a roadmap of the best order for bringing up switches, firewalls and various devices, including what each looks like and where it is located in the company’s computer room. That is a great document to have on hand, especially if your consultant is unable to respond quickly. One of the smartest things companies can do after an out- age is to make sure their UPS devices are working properly. If not, they should purchase high- quality replacements. How can the hard lessons learned from Sandy help companies refine their IT strategy? As business gets back to normal, this is a perfect time to examine options for storing and accessing mission-critical data and applications. Among many considerations, being able to function in the event of a long-term power outage – be- fore it happens (again) – is key. Small and mid-size businesses have three main options: hous- ing their own hardware and software on site, storing servers and software off site in a hosted environment, or moving every- thing to the cloud. What are the advantages and drawbacks of each op- tion? In the first, “traditional” option, companies maintain an onsite computer room where they store their servers and have their own, licensed cop- ies of software programs. This is the hardest setup to protect from power and communica- tion outages because companies continued on page 16C
saster-ready New Jersey bu s i ne s s e s learned that the best laid p l a n s c a n f a l l s h o r t . With power, Internet con- nections, cell
Dawn Bernstel
towers and even those reliable land-line phones out of com- mission, access to information and communication – vital ingredients for doing business – became all but impossible.
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