Disaster planning for minicomputers

disasters Disasterplanningforminicomputers resourcesis one Sharingmiuicomputer overcomingcomputerfailures

way

I

‘t is an unfortunate fact of life that computers breakdown, malfunction, catch fire, are vandalized and even get stolen. A study undertaken by IBM, after losing one of its data processing centres, showed that 50% of disasters were caused by fire, 17% by theft, 13% by water and storm damage with the remainder resulting from loss and other accidents. The cause however, is only part of the story. It is the effect which is an even greater disaster. Statistics developed by IBM indicate that most corporate functions will grind to a halt within a matter of days. Financial functions will collapse after only a couple of days and most other operations such as distribution, manufacturing and insurance will not survive more than a few days without serious disruption. In order to solve some of these problems, an emergency backup service has recently been launched by Comtact, part of the P&O group. The service will identify sites which a user could utilize in the event of an emergency. Checks are made to ensure that the hardware and software are fully compatible and that the supplier has spare time and wishes to sell it. Comtact also verities that the user’s programs will work on the supplier’s machines and that a formal emergency plan has been drawn up. Abstract: In the evetit ofmi~zicomputer an emergency backup service offers a shared facili
failure,

Keywords: data processing, minicomputers, ~o~t~nge~c_yplanning, insurance, backup systems.

vol

24

no

6 july/august

1982

When these requirements have been satisfied, a certificate is issued to the user as proof that a site is available in the event of an emergency. At six monthly intervals Comtact checks that neither party has substantially changed either hardware or software, and that surplus capacity is still available. The main advantage for the user is that his work is still carried out even when his own computer fails. As soon as an emergency occurs the user is able to contact the emergency site, and is able to follow a predocumented plan. In addition, the user saves money. Comtact has been in discussion with the major insurance companies and they are willing to offer substantial discounts on the user’s premium for increased costs of working, providing the user is in possession of a Comtact emergency backup certificate. All appropriate parameters are analysed in assessing the suitability of a backup site prior to the issue of a certificate. These include hardware manufacturer; size of CPU; types and numbers of discs and tapes needed, the input and output system, be it cards, screen or printer etc; the operating system and other software needs; and the accessibility of the site, whether prime time is available, or ifevening or overnight working will be required. The cost of the service is divided between the three parties involved: user, supplier, and insurance company. The user pays the fee for certification which depends on the size and complexity of the system, but typically is in the range L200 - ES00 per year. The user will also pay for the computer time utilized in testing out the emergency site and of course if it is

0011&34W82/040011-013603.00

0 1982 Butterworth

of

used in a real emergency. In return, the user obtains an effective emergency backup service and a discount, in excess of 25%, on part of his insurance premium. The supplier pays Comtact a 15% commission on the revenue received from the user of the service but also gains extra revenue and obtains an additional benefit in that his site detaiIs are known if he himself requires emergency backup. The insurance company pays Comtact a commission for the extra business, and in turn reduces its exposure in the event of disaster. Magdalena Gardner-Brown, Comtact’s marketing executive, commented ‘We believe that our service is the only one which offers hot backup for minicomputers. Following a disaster, any consequential losses will be reduced to an absolute minimum. It’s little wonder the insurers are supporting our scheme’. There is little doubt that as the trend more distributed towards processing continues, and that as many large organizations decentralize their DP operations, the demand for hot backup for minicomputers will increase. As Stanley Friedman, a senior management consultant with Price Waterhouse in the United States, concluded in a recent article on Contingency and Security: ‘Every day we read or hear about some company being destroyed. When a building burns down, so do the computer and accounting records. Let’s prepare ourselves and hope that the plan never n has to be implemented. Comtact, fordshire

& Co (Publishers)

47 High Street, Rickmansworth, HertWD3 IES, 1IR. Tet: jO9237) 78416.

Ltd.

11