1. Take inventory of every component that will be relocated or consolidated.
2. Address data security and data protection to ensure the business remains un-compromised.
3. Perform detailed planning to maximize the efficiency and budget of the relocation.
4. Assess budget to adequately address construction, renovation, site closure, equipment, and staff.
5. Communicate precisely in RFPs, SOWs and contracts — Vague RFPs create poor SOWs. Partner with a data center relocation specialist right from the start to ensure you have detailed, relevant documentation.
6. Partner with data center relocation specialists according to your continuum of needs.
7. Plan the move, move on plan to prepare and engage all components — including staff.
8. Prepare the new facility, and close the old one to ensure that all data center services are ready, tested and approved.
9. Back up your data and have a disaster recovery plan and data protection strategy — just in case.
10. Migrate — the moment when careful planning and competent project management result in a flawless move to a new data center hosting site.

For more information about all that is involved in a data center relocation, what to expect, and how to make it a success, read our white paper: Keys to a Successful Data Center Relocation.

1) Data Collection Process – Should the collection process be automated? Agentless? The process of discovery should uncover ALL network physical assets and should provide accurate data, faster implementation, and reduce audit time.

2) Presentation Process – How is the information presented? Visually? The information shown should include: hotspot identification, optimal asset placement, connections, and power.

3) Modeling Capabilities – What type of modeling capabilities does the software have? Does it offer “What if” scenarios? It should address changes in power, space, heating, and cooling.

4) Control Process – How much automation is provided? What kind of scheduling capabilities are there? The software should improve service delivery, reduce server deployment time, and should enforce ITIL best practices.

5) Management Capabilities – What management-level dashboards are provided – standard and user-defined? The tool should include a daily measurement of operations, robust asset management and reporting capabilities.

6) Analysis Functions – The software should enable you to take a proactive stance to capacity planning, providing trend analysis to predict the lifespan of your data center. It should also include operational metrics for the entire datacenter including heat and cooling, space, and network connections.

Bottom line…using a DCIM solution can help you maximize your most expensive asset, the data center. Use it.

Bruce W. Cardos, PMP
Director, PMO
ITIL Foundation Certified

In a nutshell, when a data center says they are SAS70 compliant, they are stating that adequate, internal controls and safeguards have been implemented to secure customer information in the data center. 

SAS70 is an internationally recognized auditing standard for service organizations. Specific areas for analysis and evaluation include:

• Organization controls
• Application development
• Maintenance controls
• Logical security
• Access controls
• Application controls
• System maintenance controls
• Data processing controls
• Business continuity controls

Having the SAS70 guarantee is invaluable for creating trust between you and your data center partner. With this credential, you can rest assured that data center control policies utilize effective best practices and that physical access, IT infrastructure, data, and the network are protected against threats.

SAS70 audits are performed every year, not only to verify that rigorous controls are in place, but to ensure that they are maintained.

There are two types of SAS audits:

Type I: This is usually done when a company first begins the auditing process. The auditor evaluates to what degree the data center fairly represents its services in terms of internal controls.

Type II: In addition to the Type I report, Type II includes the auditor’s commentary about how effective these internal controls operate in a given period.

It’s important to note that SAS70 audits are based on expert opinion made by an auditor. This means, when you are looking for a SAS70 data center, you will also need to determine if the audit was performed by a reputable firm. Plus you will need to assess the individual data center’s audit report to see the internal control claims that were evaluated.

From 2007 to 2010, Consonus has received favorable SAS70 Type I and Type II audits. Results of these audits are offered freely to all current and prospective Consonus clients.

So now when you are comparing data centers or hosting partners and they say, “we’re SAS70 audited,” you can actually know what it means.

Patience
Business Continuity is not an activity that typically produces immediate results or payback in terms of investment (unless a disaster strikes immediately after you have developed your program). It takes time to build relationships and reap the rewards that are possible as one becomes a trusted business continuity advisor. Some organizations don’t develop business continuity programs because they perceive this time as not well spent since they can’t see the immediate results. Big mistake, if you ask me.

Alternately, some give up on building a BC program too soon because they lack the patience to develop solid relationships. I believe patience is critical when developing a BC program. If I had not had patience with my puppy 15 years ago (and trust me, I needed a lot), imagine what I would have lost. Now imagine what you could lose f if you don’t practice patience as you build your business continuity plan.

Tolerance
Tolerance is the recognition of and respect for the opinions, beliefs, and actions of others. The business arena is filled with a variety of different people, personalities, and perspectives. Yet it’s natural to surround yourself with people most like yourself. However, adding diversity to your internal sponsors and client base could open up amazing opportunities. Stretching outside your comfort zone to meet people different than you could expose you to people and organizations you might not have otherwise met. Diversity is a major key to your networking and program management success and it requires tolerance to allow the opportunities to unfold. It was tolerance that allowed me to fully respect the natural tendencies of the German Shepard I had selected to be a part of my family.

Leadership
To some degree, I believe there tends to be a leader and a follower in every relationship. In the human/dog relationship, all you have to do is watch an episode of The Dog Whisperer to see the results when the dog claims the leadership role.

Business relationships are no different. Leaders model the behavior they wish to see in others and guide behavior in a positive manner. Leaders take ownership and accept responsibility and they know how to delegate and hold themselves and others accountable. Accountability for your own success in developing a business continuity program is the first step to achieving success.

Appreciation
I’ve heard it said that we appreciate things more after they’re gone. Surely, I appreciated Buddy while he was alive, however, after he was gone, I truly began to appreciate all the little things much more, especially the amount of joy she brought into my life.

How often do you stop and truly appreciate the people in your company or network that work on your behalf to help you reach your business continuity goals? How do you show that appreciation? I believe that one of our basic human needs it to feel appreciated. When you take the time to appreciate those that help you, you’re making an investment in that relationship. The more investments you make, the stronger the relationship becomes and the closer you get to becoming a trusted advisor; the stronger the relationship, the stronger the inclination for the customer to help you and vice versa.  

There’s one thing that makes a dog truly special — unconditional love. A canine companion loves you unconditionally, without hidden agendas. We owe it to our organization and/or clients to be the kind of person our dog thinks we are. We owe our internal and external network sincere gratitude and appreciation on a consistent basis.

In the end, Buddy taught me a great lesson in focus.  Focus was the only thing that got me through the passing of a wonderful pet.  Focused, strategic consulting is what gets you the results you want. It takes you to the right places and introduces you to the right people. 

Business continuity program development is all about these lessons mentioned here: patience, tolerance, leadership, appreciation and focus.  Take a look at what you are doing in the area of business continuity development and don’t be surprised if you are truly leading a dog’s life.

Patrick R. Dunn, CBCP, CISSP
Practice Manager – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

But what if the distributed systems came equipped with a smart PV inverter; one that could provide ancillary services on the distribution feeder, communicate with the utility, and even provide some energy storage so that the utility could use the devices to help harmonize the power on the distribution feeder. Now that would get the utility’s attention and they may even want some of that kind of solar PV on every one of their feeders.

Well, that‘s the outlook for 2015, according to “The World Market for PV Inverters”, a report released recently by IMS Research.  A July 26 press release on PVmarketresearch.com  highlights the report and shows sales of Smart PV inverters passing sales of standard inverters within three years, driven by “utility concerns over grid imbalances, the growing proportion of PV connected to the grid, as well as the need for energy storage to take advantage of self-consumption tariffs and further incorporate PV into the smart grid.”  

Given the maturity of distributed generation system penetration in Germany, we should watch developments in Europe closely to understand how distributed energy resources will impact smart grid and utility operations going forward. 

John Cooper
Smart Grid Lead Consultant

John Cooper is an industry-leading author and researcher on the Smart Grid with over 20 years of experience in the utilities and energy industry. He has specialized expertise in business development and consulting at innovative electric and telecommunications companies and has led key Smart Grid projects associated with utility IP networks, AMI, distributed generation, demand response, energy efficiency, virtual power plants, utility-scale energy storage and more. Cooper is co-author of the newly released “The Advanced Smart Grid: Edge Power Driving Sustainability,” a practical perspective on the advent and evolution of Smart Grids.

Recent disasters such as Hurricane Irene, Texas wildfires, Mid-Atlantic earthquakes, tsunami’s, and tornado’s all highlight the need for a comprehensive and tested disaster recovery plan but most  are an “all or nothing” scenario, meaning the entire data center must be unavailable before declaring a disaster. This scenario does not look at individual component failures — the most common problems that escalate into a full blown disaster declaration.

Has your company looked at its data center infrastructure and vulnerabilities to address issues that may prevent a disaster declaration and enhance day-to-day or operational recovery?  In some cases there is nothing you can do to prevent a declaration – A direct hit from a tornado, major flooding, earthquakes, etc.  But in many cases a vulnerability analysis of your data center will uncover specific actions that can be taken to prevent a localized outage from becoming a full blown disaster.

So how do you prepare a data center for a disaster incident?

First – Conduct a Vulnerability Assessment of the data center. Five basic questions to ask are:

1. Are you storing paper and boxes in the data center?
2. Are your networking cables labeled?
3. Have you looked at your data center from a power and capacity standpoint?
4. Is physical access to the data center limited?
5. Does the data center have heat, smoke, water sensors?
6. Are there data security policies and procedures in place?
7. Is the location of your data center conducive to continued operations or is the data center in a major hazard area?

You definitely need a comprehensive set of procedures for the infrastructure and for the applications. Each component, or group of components, usually has support infrastructure, and generally speaking, there’s a person or group responsible for that. So the servers are going to be under the server group, or the virtualization group, or both. All of these are generally working under an infrastructure group or an operations group, but come a major disruption, there’s a dotted-line relationship for disaster recovery management. And that kind of governance clearly needs to be spelled out, who is in charge, who makes the decision, what you do, and what sequence you do it in.

Of course there is much more to ensuring your data center survives a disaster,  but this should give you a jump start in reviewing your data center vulnerabilities.

Patrick R. Dunn, CBCP, CISSP
Practice Manager – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

At some point, your business will be disrupted by either a man-made or natural disaster; it’s not a matter of if, but when. Disaster recovery planning is vital to the longevity of the business.

Natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and floods are particularly tricky to plan for because they can strike randomly and sometimes repeatedly in the same geographic location.

So how would a business survive such extreme threats?  Here are a few leading practices and strategies to help:

1. Awareness:  A critical activity of Business Continuity actually occurs before the crisis. Informing and educating employees about programs, threats, expectations, accepted behaviors and actions will increase the likelihood that the intended response to an emergency will be achieved by making these situations at least a bit more familiar by way of repetition.
2. Compliance:  Compliance with building code safety and frequent building code inspection checks are imperative to ensuring that your building is as safe as possible. The same method should be applied to information technology. Extreme caution should be taken when it comes to protecting your most valuable business resources.
3. Redundancy: A variety of sources for accessing information should be available. Emails, website postings, “800” numbers to recorded messages, face-to-face information sessions, newsletters, and texting are viable methods.
4. Frequency: During crises information changes quickly. Therefore, it is important to update messages frequently. Having a pre-established update schedule will benefit your organization during the business interruption.
5. Communications: Often times at the beginning of a crisis there is a flurry of information, which then drops off. Crises can last for a while and people need different types of information from stage to stage. Maintaining communications continuity during all stages of a crisis is critical.

Patrick R. Dunn, CBCP, CISSP
Practice Manager – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

The goal of Smart Grid is to merge proven IT principles and business practices with established utility business models to modernize vital infrastructure and bring new levels of efficiency in electricity distribution and consumption. To advance this aim, Consonus is committed to working with its sister company, UtiliPoint International, to provide a range of Smart Grid services.  From industry analysis and media coverage to IT consulting services for sound Smart Grid planning, Consonus has the capabilities to provide a variety of tailored IT services and products to execute Smart Grid plans.

Join me in this emerging online forum to discuss and share your perspectives on the historic transformation of our most vital infrastructure, to develop a greater understanding of this complex transition, and to explore ways your company can benefit from all the changes ahead.

John Cooper
Smart Grid Lead Consultant

John Cooper is an industry-leading author and researcher on the Smart Grid with over 20 years of experience in the utilities and energy industry. He has specialized expertise in business development and consulting at innovative electric and telecommunications companies and has led key Smart Grid projects associated with utility IP networks, AMI, distributed generation, demand response, energy efficiency, virtual power plants, utility-scale energy storage and more. Cooper is co-author of the newly released “The Advanced Smart Grid: Edge Power Driving Sustainability,” a practical perspective on the advent and evolution of Smart Grids.

Were You Prepared?
How did you fare after the tragic floods resulting from Irene? Were you prepared for questions from your executives when the news came in regarding Hurricane Irene and subsequent 100 year floods?

• Did you think to reach out to suppliers and employees in the region to begin the situation assessment? Or to stock up on needed resources before the flooding? Were you able to deliver products after the event or were there disruptions in your supply chain?
• Did you think about engaging procurement and human resources as partners to determine the impact of the disaster and potential exposure?
• Did you prepare to field questions from customers, business partners, and concerned family members?

Based on my experience watching organizations react to crises and other disruptive events, it’s common to see executives and those assigned Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity activities do the following:

1. Get caught up as witnesses, watching the drama play out in the news just like everyone else, without always connecting the dots as to how the event may impact the organization’s interests. (This is where having a Disaster Recovery Plan would be of vital importance or having a person on staff whose sole responsibility is Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity Planning.)
2. Focus (almost exclusively) on the day-to-day planning process, rather than taking an active role in participating in the response, including the situation assessment process.
3. Fail to reference business impact analysis and risk assessment-related information in a potential crisis in order to judge possible exposure — what may be affected.( Ok – so you may not have this in place, but perhaps enough of a wakeup call has been issued and now your company realizes the time is right to conduct a business impact analysis and risk assessment.)

September is National Preparedness Month.  Now is the time to either create your Disaster Recovery Plan or update your plan if you have not done so recently. Another hurricane and even more tornadoes are currently on the weather radar…don’t wait!

Patrick R. Dunn, CBCP, CISSP
Consonus Practice Manager – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

Despite fears over reliability and security, enterprises are slowly but steadily moving their applications to the cloud, and the migration is going to change those companies in profound ways.

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