Dodging Disaster: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

  Business Intelligence   Strategy  

September 11, 2001 was one of the most horrific days in American history. Many of the fundamental processes in our day-to-day lives were tested to their limits. Electrical, communications and transportation processes came to a screeching halt.

In the IT community, we seldom anticipate these sorts of events. What if you were the CIO of American Express or Merrill Lynch on that day? Were you ready for your key data and servers to be engulfed by fire? Whether it is in business intelligence systems or traditional transactional applications, detailed business continuity and disaster recovery plans are key. Although you may think that the possibility of disaster is remote, if disaster should strike, your business could be seriously derailed if you are not able to bring critical applications up quickly.

While business continuity and disaster recovery plans are important for all corporate applications, it is imperative that they exist for the most critical applications. These are the systems that run your fundamental business processes. In retail, these are your supply chain management and order entry systems. In finance, these are your trading and back office clearing systems. In banking, these are your account management systems. In airlines and transportation, these are your booking, scheduling and command and control systems. And in consumer goods, these …

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