Preparing for disaster, THT says it can help

When viruses attack and ice storms knock out networks, it's no longer business as usual. In fact, when emails can't be accessed, financial and web-based applications are inoperable and networks are down, very little business can be done. While most firms count on anti-virus applications to keep the bugs at bay, they don't have a plan for the beasts; the blackouts, the terrorist attacks, fires and security breaches. According to a recent study conducted by IDC Canada, 55% of Canadian firms reported an IT-related business disruption in the last year. But only 25% have a business continuity plan that is regularly tested and 12% don't have a plan at all."I think a lot of people forget about disaster recovery and business continuity. I think a lot of people don't have the time to devote to dealing with the issue," says David Dobbin, president of Toronto Hydro Telecom Inc. "Most organizations admit that they're under-spending on disaster recovery and I think that fear can also play a factor. IT guys like to believe they can do it all themselves and that becomes a problem when it comes to business continuity."But Dobbin doesn't just have a solution, he has two: Tera-Stor and Tera Recovery. Launched in July, the data storage and recovery services offer cost effective protection of business, customer and competitive intelligence.Tera-Stor is designed to not only help organizations overcome problems associated with growing data storage needs but also to protect their data against unforeseen events. "It's a very large disk farm," Dobbin explains. "If a customer needs to backup and store terabytes of data, we can do that for them. We rent them disk space on a casual basis and customers can connect to our network quickly."Toronto Hydro Telecom's state-of-the-art fibre network can be used as a company's primary data store, or for temporary periods of peak demand. It supports multiple platforms, including Windows and Linux and offers 24/7 access and monitoring. While Dobbin was unable to provide Telemanagement with a rate schedule, he says the monthly fees are much lower than those associated with making large capital purchases or the costs associated with incident-related downtimes. Tera-Recovery goes beyond data storage and protection. An automated data replication service, it takes snapshots of customers' data, applications, servers and files at regular intervals throughout the day. In the case of a disaster, the service promises to have all data recovered within an hour. "The risks aren't always ice storms and SARS, but they are issues that face on a daily basis," says Dobbin. In the case of system and site failures, or even erroneously deleted files, multiple recovery points enable users to retrieve data and continue operability.Privacy and security concerns are alleviated through a variety of mechanisms. Dobbin likens the data centres to Fort Knox, citing the robust physical security of the buildings and intensive internal measures. The data centres are housed in two undisclosed Toronto locations. Two sub-stations power one of their centres, and on-site diesel generators ensure that the systems can continue to run in the case of a complete blackout. "The telecommunications network is totally redundant. In both of our data centres, individual fibre optic cables run through from at least three directions, in at least three different entrances. There's redundant switches, architecture and fire suppressant systems in both of the buildings. So the telecommunications network is totally secure," boasts Dobbins.According to IDC, the market for managed infrastructure services is valued at more than $2 billion Canadian, but Dobbin believes that Toronto Hydro Telecom's recovery, security and privacy features are unique. "It's the only service like this that's available in Canada."The services have been in beta for the past year and are an integral part of Toronto Hydro Telecom's business continuity plan. The service was fueled, in part, by the company's need to meet regulatory compliance requirements and maintain uninterrupted customer service during times of chaos. "Less than 10% of companies think legislative compliance is a threat to them," says Dobbin citing the IDC survey. Businesses need to ensure their customers' information is protected, even during disasters, he adds.Toronto Hydro Telecom takes its systems' security seriously. The IDC survey revealed that most companies spend about 4% of their IT budgets on business continuity plans; yet most respondents peg the optimal amount around 7.5%. Dobbin says Toronto Hydro Telecom devotes 8% of its IT resources to disaster recovery and business continuity plans.Dobbin takes a Boy Scout-like approach to business continuity; always be prepared. It's not enough to have a plan, he says, adding that Toronto Hydro Telecom regularly conducts tests. "Businesses need to have a plan and they need to test it like a fire drill."

Preparing for disaster, THT says it can help

News | 09/11/2007 11:50 am EDT

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