RECAP | ROUNDTABLE | Disaster Preparedness

A January 30th, 2019, Uptime Institute Roundtable on disaster preparation proved a unique experience for all participants. as moderator Kevin Heslin and Uptime Institute Consultant Scott Good led a discussion as a weather event loomed in the eastern and mid-west U.S. Beyond the coincidence, though, was the notable presence of two individuals based near Chicago, IL, who were dealing with record-low temperatures in real-time.

Both these individuals proudly noted that they were relying on well thought-out and complete set of procedures that had been honed, refined, and updated to keep pace with the changing nature of the disaster-related challenges, new equipment in the data center, and IT delivery.

In his first remarks, Scott Good noted that data center operators often subconsciously thought of disaster as being weather and climate related—often with good reason. Yet, his notion that equipment failures could and should be treated as potential disasters was supported by a roundtable participant who was addressing a possible outdoor mechanical equipment freeze up problem while on line.

In a similar vein, Uptime Institute consultant Amber Villegas-Williamson inquired whether existing disaster preparation planning included employee well-being and transportation. Participants generally answered yes, with one of the Chicago areas participants noting that staffing was a serious concern. He added that his plan incorporated areas for employee use and that his company had held over shift workers against the risk that day shift workers might be stranded. He had also freed up work schedules by postponing in advance scheduled maintenance work.

A third participant from Brazil noted that his challenges were much different. His challenges included extreme heat, flooding, and possible violence. These, he noted, would stress equipment differently than the cold of Chicago but could still be the source of disaster. And after a back-and-forth discussion about possible low temperatures in San Paolo, noted that he would be checking the performance of cooling equipment at his facilities at below freezing temperatures. These temperatures, he noted, were unlikely, but not impossible.

Scott Good, Uptime Institute consultant, and Kevin Heslin, chief editor, Uptime Institute, join a roundtable discussion focused on how enterprises can prepare for unexpected events that threaten IT operations.