Hello, World.
It’s now December 24 and rather clear that life as we know it is not going to end – at least not before tomorrow’s Christmastime festivities. So if you were banking on death, war, and/or pestilence to get you out of an awkward family get-together tomorrow, I have bad news for you. It’s time to come out of that bunker, breathe the fresh air, and hurry to the mall for those last-minute gifts.
The upside of all this is that, while you’re waiting in long lines to purchase this year’s hottest gift , you’ll have ample opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on the damage a doomsday-sized event could have had on your network.
For those of us in the world of IT and telecom, the real-world impact of Superstorm Sandy underscores the importance of having a back-up plan, because Mother Nature pays no mind to the location of your network facilities. And these days, disasters of apocalyptic proportions can also be trigged by sabotage. Just ask Yahoo.
Enter your Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) service.
But what does a comprehensive BC/DR service look like?
A good BC/DR service acts as a life vest, keeping your business productive (and afloat) in the midst of a crisis. Partnering with a global service provider allows you to tap into their vast network of data facilities (Level 3 has over 350) that can reroute your network traffic at a moment’s notice, keeping data and other assets out of harm’s way and business communications flowing. A responsible provider employs specific engineering tactics to ensure that your data route remains diverse, making the network more resilient and reliable. Additionally, in the event there is a large-scale threat on the horizon, you’ll want to be able to directly contact your provider to understand what precautions they’re taking to keep things up and running (something you need to be sure to discuss when evaluating providers as well), which means you’ll want to ensure there’s an experienced expert on the other end of that phone call. At the end of the day, your service provider should demonstrate a level of support, expertise, and sustainability that allows you to focus on your core business, knowing that the information you send across the network is secure and reliable – especially during a Sandy-sized catastrophe.
Looking for more? Then let Chris McReynolds, our VP of Core Product Management, walk you through the key considerations of creating a comprehensive BC/DR plan.
And now you can get back to the important task at hand – finding that perfect holiday sweater for Aunt Martha. Happy Holidays!
![Allentown, PA [1] – Fiber Damage – Down trees around power/communication lines](http://blog.level3.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/allentown2.png)
About Stacey Sayer
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