LET’S ACCOUNT FOR COMPUTER DISASTERS?

Proper contingency planning, meaning recovery plan formulation, ensure that a company with a high degree of dependency on its computer can survive the effects of a prolonged failure. ‘Failsafe’ is a fast-response comprehensive disaster recovery services for users of large computer systems.

As more and more activities go 'on-line' the level of de-pendency on the computer increases and the point soon arrives when prolonged shut-down would plunge the organization into chaos.
The most elementary ways" of safeguarding the computer facility are already widely in:- .. Use - sprinklers to limit the chances of a major fire and security surveillance to protect against vandalism are just two of them. Various other pro-ducts and services of a more sophisticated nature are also available as backups in the event of failure. To run a sizeable DP facility without some such fall-back would be fool hardy, to say the least.

It is encouraging that investment in these measures is be-coming increasingly wide-spread - and not simply be-cause they figure in insurance company calculations when assessing consequential loss cover. Auditors, too, have played an important role indentifying areas of possible threat and this had led many of them to suggest that more attention should be paid to effective contingency planning.

Awareness
Creating awareness of what a computer shutdown caused by fire or flood or some other form of disaster could mean in financial terms is not easy. Most management seem to have the view that, if suddenly deprived of the data-processing function for a lengthy period, the company would somehow be capable of executing an extraordinary U-turn and reverting to pre-computer administrative techniques.
But in reality few, if any, of the staff involved in the various functions could make the adjustment. First, personnel may be unfamiliar with book-keeping except by computer and would need training to do things manually. Secondly, the means of carrying on from where the computer left off would simply not exist. Finally, there would not be sufficient staff to cope since computers perform the functions of a number of administrative staff.
 
The second dangerous my This that use of an alternative computer facility capable of accepting the workload can be arranged to be implemented immediately. Those who have tried to do it have found, to their cost, that between six and eight weeks can elapse before an alternative working location can be up and running. Computers need particular operating environments, with specialized communications facilities, air conditioning, power supplies and so on. Adequate testing of these alternative facilities must be done before processing can begin again in earnest. In other words, only a pre-designated computer room will suffice. Unless adequate arrangements have been set in motion beforehand, weeks can pass before real progress is made - weeks during which the company's lifeblood continues to drain away.

Some types of business are at greater risk than others. The financial world insurance companies, banks, accounting departments within large organizations and government institutions such as the Inland Revenue or Customs and Excise - would be in a state of chaos in under a week. Manufacturing organizations using raw materials or components, on the other hand, would be able to continue to manufacture and pay wages for weeks (theoretically) before the full effects would be felt. It might be less: than ideal but at least bankruptcy would not be staring them in the face within days and that vital breathing space) would exist which companies in this situation desperately need.

However, the possible dam age to the company's reputation once the news came to light, with consequent loss of confidence in the market place could cause a massive defection of custom which might never be regained. For having happened once, people would need to be doubly reassured that the danger had been decisively eliminated, and the only way to ensure that would be to invest in comprehensive disaster recovery facilities. Ironically, if the company had had the foresight to embark on precisely the same plan of action before the disaster occurred, the market place would have been unaware of what had happened and the existence of the company would not have been threatened.

For users of large IBM systems there was, until last year, a shortage of any kind of fast response, comprehensive disaster recovery service which could take over a company's computing operations within hours. This was mostly caused by a lack of end-user demand, for the reasons already de-scribed. Even those willing to fund and operate a modest type of disaster centre prefer-red to hedge their bets and run whatever fully-equipped facility they set up as a dual-function centre, in other words, when not occupied by a company in trouble, bureau time was sold on the computer.
This was less than ideal since it delayed the switch over of operations to the company in distress.

Failsafe
In 1983, Istle Ltd (formerly BL Systems Ltd) and Atlantic Computers pic came together to create the 'Failsafe' disaster recovery service, which effectively eliminated all the weak-nesses of the recovery services previously available. With around 1,000 skilled systems and software staff to call on Istle was ideally situated to assume operational responsibility for the first Failsafe centre which opened at Preston, Lancashire. Atlantic Computers, the largest IBM leasing company operating in Europe, was able to provide Fail-safe’s impressive mainframe con-figuration from its vast port-folio of the latest IBM hard-ware. Moreover, it supported Istle’s plan of action sufficiently to become an enthusiastic partner in the venture.
Recognizing that not every-one would need the full IBM3033 AP facility, nor the full complement of peripherals at Failsafe, a system of tie red subscription was devised in which a four-share subscriber would automatically be entitled to occupy the full con-figuration. Smaller IBM sys-tem users or those with only a proportion of their DP throughout in the 'vital' category could reduce their initial outlay by reserving only a fraction of the total configuration.

Residency of the Failsafe centre is for a period of not more than eight weeks, sufficient time for the stricken company to make alternative arrangements (in the event of a total wipeout of their in-house computer installation)'or reinstate their in-house operations.
Proper contingency planning, meaning recovery plan formulation, ensures that a company with a high degree of dependency on its computer can survive the effect of a prolonged failure. Existing name subscribers to Fail-safe, amongst them Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance and Hambros Life, are certain that it is an issue which managements and senior accountants will have to face sooner or later. If later, let's hope nothing disastrous happens in the meantime!

PREPARED BY
Y.O.OLAJIDE (FCA, FCTI)
MANAGING PARTNER
Olajide and Associates Nig.
www.olajideassociates.com