Hoping For The Best Is Not A Sound Data Recovery Plan


Beginning as a tropical storm in the western Caribbean Sea, Sandy quickly gained strength, becoming a Category 2 hurricane when it crashed into Jamaica and later Cuba.

When the storm headed north and plowed into New Jersey and New York on Oct. 29, it contained enough power to be called the largest and second costliest Atlantic hurricane on record. With an estimated loss of more than $20 billion, Sandy was second only to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which surpassed $50 billion in losses.

Weeks later, some residents of the storm-wrecked region were still living without power; debris was strewn throughout neighborhoods; and where attractive homes once stood, there were trash-filled vacant lots. These were stark reminders of Sandy’s brutal force.

The area struck by this massive storm is one of the nation’s most populated. It also is a major commercial center. Recovery from the devastation will be measured in months and years, rather than days.

Sandy’s impact should be a wake-up call for business owners throughout the nation.

Whether a business falls into the “mom and pop” category, or has an international reach, its operations rely increasingly on computer systems. Businesses that continued to operate during and after Sandy had backup systems, which protected critical data and allowed operations to shift to offsite locations.

Regrettably the storm interrupted the operations of other businesses. Some were “dark” for just a few hours. Others remain “closed” today. Critical, unprotected data, such as customer and financial records, may be forever lost.

Whether a business is located in “hurricane country,” in the path of a tornado or wildfire, or along an earthquake fault, its owner should have a data recovery plan.