Hurricane Sandy is headed right for us.
- What we are doing to keep your data and limit service interruption.
- What should you do?
What should you do: (VIDEO)
What we are doing:
We are preparing for what can be potentially the worst storm to hit the north east in many years and taking it very seriously. The center of Hurricane Sandy is headed straight for New Jersey.
Many of our clients have expressed concerns about their data. Here is break down of the potential risks as well as the measures being taken to guard against service interruptions.
Power
The data centers where your account data is stored are state of the art. Servers have UPS battery back ups should the power suddenly go out. If and when power goes out massive generators turn on and can keep the data center power up and running indefinitely. There is enough fuel to run the generators on site for three days. In the meantime fuel vendors continue to replenish the diesel supplies on a regular basis.
Data Loss
Data is always backed up on multiple servers within the main data center and again offsite at our Tampa area headquarters.
With power outage and surges being the biggest threat to the security of the data we suspect that this is the lowest risk we face because of the storm. In the event the data center is totally destroyed the data backup in Tampa will serve as a temporary replacement.
Connectivity
The biggest concern we have is loss of connection to the internet between the data center and the internet. This would you would not be able to access the system for that period of time where the connection is lost. Your access to the system is dependent not only on your local connection to the internet but also the data centers connection to the internet.
In Billing Precision’s history we have never experienced a loss of connectivity to the system because of a loss of connection between the data center and the internet. This is due in part to internet connection redundancy, meaning there is more than one type of connection between the data center and the internet. It would be similar to your office having DSL, Cable, and T1 connection. If one would go down there are always two others. For the data center there are also some other safety measures in place for connectivity. All this being said we have never faced a situation where the data center took a direct hit so connectivity, regardless of the precautions we take, is a real concern. Loss of connectivity is a real possibility.
A message from Net Access, our data center
We have increased staffing levels for both onsite and on-call personnel next week to ensure proper coverage in the event that an emergency response is necessary. We have also completed readiness checks of our emergency power systems including UPS’s and generation plants.
Our fuel vendors have been notified and are on standby ready to provide additional fuel in the event of a long term utility power disruption.
Throughout the event, all systems will continue to be monitored as usual. Additionally, the Facilities and Operations teams will be performing an increased number of visual inspections of building structure and all critical systems.
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy,
Brian Capra DC
President, Billing Precision, LLC
