Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
By Gregory J. Robb, Research Assistant, Applied Business Technologies, LLC
According to IHS Global Insight (a forecasting firm), Hurricane Sandy will end up causing approximately $20 billion in property damage, and $10-$30 billion more in lost business. The mayor’s office of New York City predicted $19 billion in damage to the Big Apple alone. Hurricane Sandy became one of the costliest natural disasters in US history when it hit the Atlantic seaboard in October 2012.
Yet, nobody needs a natural disaster to experience one of the most vexing business challenges of the Information Age. Anyone who has witnessed their computer die due to a power bump knows the cost of lost information. In bygone times, computer users had to manually “save” files; there was no “auto-save” feature in first-generation software. If Sandy blew ashore, computerized business could kiss its information goodbye. Although technology has advanced greatly, the fear of lost information remains.
Modus Operandi: Record Everything
There are several reasons for businesses to record all commercial information: quality control, regulations and digital business record-keeping. The times have changed. When industry can hit “save” instead of filing paper, it does so. Naturally, this creates the bonanza of exponential increase in electronic records. Add to that the dizzying pace of technological development (such as wireless phone trading) and you have a New World challenge: how to safely and securely store all that information.
Ironically, Hurricane Sandy provided business with a prime opportunity to check its existing Information Technology (IT) disaster plans. Many businesses have call centers and content delivery networks (CDNs) all over the world, in just the event that a hurricane, like Sandy, should knock out local Internet access – as she did in New York. Not only can power disruptions annihilate IT data, but shameless opportunists can exploit distressed innocents after the storm. For example, scammers can pose and disaster response solicitors who call individuals for donations.
When the crunch came, business found out how ready it was with contingencies.
The Meaning of Readiness
Have a plan. It’s as simple as that. However, implementing that plan in a disaster zone of challenging.
Applied Business Technologies (ABT) develops contact center solutions across multiple industrial sectors: telecommunications, mobile services, healthcare, automotive, financial services and the public sector. At ABT, Call Recording and Business Data Analytics apply to exceptional circumstances to preserve business data. The digital capture of phone and data information empowers businesses to stand the tests of nature. A good system is not only a front-line tool, but a dependable back-up. The ABT advantage provides technological information back-up just the same way that a power bar protects a computer in a crisis.
There is no better time to prepare for the worst than before a disaster. Applied Business Technologies (ABT) provides multi-platform IT solutions, so that business can navigate stormy times. Hurricane Sandy was a simply a perfect natural illustration of the need to back-up existing commercial data management systems. Considering the cost of lost business, an ABT data management business solution makes a prudent investment.
