Katrina Teaches IT Lessons in Disaster Recovery

The ability of companies to salvage IT operations and data in the wake of Katrina depended on corporate resources, the quality of IT disaster recovery plans and the ability to move data and employees quickly, says a new article. But how well did companies really do after Katrina?

According to an article by Charlie Russo and Linda Tucci on the SearchSMB.com website, companies who had successful disaster recovery plans were able to keep their businesses safe after Katrina.

However, the pair point out that even with good DR plans in place, “it’s hard to imagine every scenario in advance.” In the article, Russo and Tucci interview a number of different companies who found that, at times, the theory of DR planning and the practice turned into two different things.

One example of a company who got it right in Katrina was a New Orleans-based distribution company who put a disaster recovery plan into place several months ago. “As soon as Katrina was rated a Category 5 hurricane, the company moved its data processing center to a backup site in New Jersey and began evacuating its fleet of trucks. Switching to the New Jersey data center meant the business continued operating with no loss of data. It also saved 60 trucks from being stranded,” they said.

To read the full article, click here: http://searchsmb.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid44_gci1122710,00.html