| Many IT continuity plans are fundamentally flawed. | | | | IT Services Need to be Available in a Crisis |
| Whilst there is an expectation that IT services would | | | | Experience of major contingencies (i.e. those that |
| be restored within 48 hours or so of a disaster, | | | | affect more than just IT infrastructure) reveals that |
| Sysop research indicates that it may actually take six | | | | emergency co-ordination teams need effective IT |
| months before all services are returned to normal. | | | | immediately. As the precise nature and impact of the |
| The mismatch between expectation and practical | | | | contingency can not be predicted, IT specialist |
| delivery is caused by a number of incorrect | | | | resource is needed to provide emergency |
| assumptions, including:o that non-critical systems can | | | | co-ordination teams with their requirements in an |
| be recovered in similar timescales to the "mission | | | | efficient and flexible manner. This activity will always |
| critical" systems for which formal ITSC plans have | | | | take priority over the recovery of routine IT. As |
| been developed.o that all applications can be | | | | organisations become increasingly IT dependent it |
| recovered to readily available "commodity | | | | becomes even more necessary for routine IT (and |
| hardware".o that suitably-qualified ITIL Managers will | | | | the data / information upon which management |
| be available to support the recovery in the numbers | | | | depend) to be available to manage the crisis. |
| required. | | | | Building a Disaster Tolerant Infrastructure |
| But crucially, the most significant factor is the high | | | | By planning strategically - a point emphaised by your |
| support effort required to sustain the | | | | ITIL trainer during your study for your ITIL |
| newly-recovered applications. This support | | | | certificate - it is possible to develop an I.T. |
| commitment will drastically reduce the resource | | | | infrastructure capable of maintaining IT service |
| available to recover the remainder of applications. | | | | continuity throughout even a major contingency. |
| Most IT departments have around 20% of their | | | | Server clustering and data storage mirroring can |
| applications defined as "mission critical" in a total | | | | ensure the automatic fail-over of every single system |
| population in excess of 50. | | | | within minutes - requiring no resource, intervention or |
| Some 80% of applications will take more than two | | | | dependency on scarce IT skills. With correct planning |
| weeks to recover; 50% will take more than a month; | | | | a highly-available infrastructure can be implemented |
| 25% will take more than three months. | | | | with no increase in the Total Cost of Ownership. |