For countless companies, Hurricane Irene provided a chance for IT firms to test the effectiveness of their disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

First and foremost, companies needed to ensure continuous data center services, and preliminary evidence seems to indicate they succeeded.  The centers themselves were well-protected from the elements; many, for example, are designed with raised floors to minimize flood damage.  At the same time, plans to back-up data offsite went off without a hitch.  As a result, a majority of east coast data centers operated seamlessly, without any major disruption to customers.

The only major bit of disconcerting news comes from Vermont, where serious flooding affected the state’s website and damaged hardware.

Disaster preparedness and recovery is, of course, predicated on the sound execution of technology to enable data back-up and replication.  However, many companies experience the most severe failure points in the areas of process management.  For example, companies may fail to institute a coherent chain of command to enable quick decision-making.  They may also fail to prioritize the data that may be at risk, taking a costly “one-size fits all” approach.