Disaster Planning Helps Mission-Critical Facilities Avoid Outages and Navigate Emergencies

Are you prepared? A new report from Stream Data Centers asks this very question in regards to why managers of critical environments need a solid strategy for disaster planning.

The new white paper reminds us that the precise timing and severity of hurricanes, fires, blackouts and other disasters may be difficult to predict. And with the threat of climate change and related weather events looming, many are looking to ramp up their preparedness in the case of emergency or power outages.

But the threats go beyond weather and are not all natural occurrences. Stream Data Centers mentions fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorism, tornados, cyberattacks, floods, blackouts and more.

The impacts and effects of these events can range in intensity and longevity, but are often devastating to property, businesses, and lives.

“That’s why disaster planning is crucial for every company’s data center operations,” the report points out.

The report asks the following questions to help gauge if your business is disaster ready:

• Have you vetted and documents your risks?
• Have you assembled a disaster team?
• Do you have an effective communications plan for your team?
• In the wake of disaster, will your business remain stable based on strategic priorities?

According to Stream Data Centers, comprehensive physical and operational preparedness, including frequent reviews and drills, can keep the chaos outside the walls of your data center.

Take this example provided in the report. When Hurricane Harvey tore through Houston in 2017, thousands of companies felt the impact, with massive flooding and wind damage that forced many businesses to suspend operations. Stream Data Centers asserts in the report those that suffered the most probably could have prevented the worst damage by developing a “comprehensive business continuity plan well before the disaster occurred.”

After the hurricane, although all felt challenges, data centers and other mission-critical facilities with emergency preparedness plans were able to continue operations, uninterrupted, by shifting into what the report called “disaster mode”.

“Risk assessment begins with an objective look at what kinds of natural disasters are most likely to affect your region.” — Stream Data Centers

Partnering with a company that specializes in data center can be helpful to ensure facilities minimize risk and maintain uptime.

The new report covers the following topics in detail:

• Planning to Plan — Defining Disaster and Discovering Resources
• Planning for the Predictable — Risk Assessment for Your Locations
• Planning for Business Continuity — Targeting 100% Uptime, Ahead of Time
• Practice, Practice, Practice — Ensuring Seamless Performance of the plan
• The Disaster Planning Experts

Download the full report, “Are you Prepared?” Why you Need a Solid Strategy for Critical Environments Disaster Planning,” courtesy of Stream Data Centers, to learn more about why you need a plan, and how to create one.