Recent storms in Dallas and the resulting YouTube videos resemble clips from the 1996 hit movie Twister. It was a scary scene for many across the Silicon Prairie. Unfortunately it’s times like these when many businesses start thinking about their disaster recovery plan. The key to surviving a tornado and reducing the risk of loss, however, lies in planning, preparing and practicing what you and your business will do before a tornado or other natural disaster strikes. For most businesses this usually means finding a solid data center partner with disaster recovery built in. How do you know which one to choose? Here are a few things to consider:
Redundancy
A reliable data center provider will have N+1 infrastructure designs for both power and cooling. This means the facility has what it needs to operate (N), plus one spare in case anything goes wrong.
Preventative Maintenance
A maintenance program is imperative for any provider you choose. After all, prevention is the best protection plan. A Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS) should be in place to keep track of when maintenance is due, as well as repairs that have been made.
Response Plans
In the event that some piece of infrastructure fails, having a well-documented emergency response plan in place is a must for the data center partner you choose. These plans map out specific actions staff will take both during and after an event.
Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others. Among these are data center locations like our facility in Dallas, which thanks to some of the practices above is still well intact and functioning with zero downtime.
Looking for a managed data center partner in the Lone Star State? Schedule a tour today.
