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Learning From the Past The dawn of a new millennium is less than a year away, but many of us are still unprepared for the potential disastrous impact of Y2K. Now is the time to evaluate our readiness. For an accurate picture of where we stand, it is often helpful to look to the past as a point of reference. Hindsight is 20/20 and history is our best teacher. Looking Back The computer industry has gone through significant changes that have evolved at turbo-charged speeds. Just a decade ago, our data center typically ran MVS from an IBM 3084Q processor. The processor ran at 25 MIPS and sat atop a DASD farm, which consisted of 3380-Ds, Es and Ks. The tape library consisted of 3420 and 3480 tape volumes. E-mail and the Internet were still foreign concepts to many of us. The true techies were strictly mainframe people who had stacks of mainframe journals on their desks. By 1988, we were beginning to realize that our needs were becoming more complex. Our back-up windows were shrinking while the data we needed to back up was growing. There were not enough hours in a day to accomplish our goals. As a result, mechanisms were devised to assure that what was most critical to our business was accounted for and recoverable. On a weekly basis, we backed up all of our volumes and sent the data offsite. With the assistance of our automated tools, we would comfortably make the bi-annual pilgrimage to our local hot site, recover our data, and execute a successful disaster recovery test. Unthinkable as it may have seemed, we were able to pull through a potentially disastrous situation. Approaching 2000 As we approach 2000, we have become acclimated to the rate of change and are better able to adjust to the ever-changing dynamic environment. It is important that we apply lessons from the past to the tasks of today. Just as hardware and software have evolved, so have we. It is crucial that we keep pace with our DR plans as well. Let us look at a typical data center today. Today, the Enterprise consists of many platforms. No longer is the mainframe the sole workhorse of an organization’s processing needs. It is typically a component of an array of Mainframe, UNIX, AS400 and NT servers. As a result of the revolutionary growth of the DASD farm, most organizations now manage terabytes of data. Revolutionary advancement in the tape library has led to significantly increased tape capacity. In addition, emerging technology has introduced remote mirroring of data as well as offsite journalizing of database activity. Challenges We Face Today So what challenges do we face today with regard to data recoverability? Applications change on a daily basis and the application personnel are not necessarily down the hall, or for that matter even in the same country. They might not even speak the same language. You must keep up with the dynamic changes. What was true yesterday is false today and even more false tomorrow. Although recovering data remains the objective, the hurdles have been raised a few notches. If history is any indication, a focused approach is going to be key to our recovery. Just as storage management has been automated in the past, disaster recovery can be automated today. An automated approach to recovery can accomplish some of the following: • Simplify the hot site preparation process The good news: The technology of today is ready to help you with the task at hand. The bad news: Getting the tools to work in harmony is not necessarily an easy task. Manual processes are going the same route the typewriter took with the advent of word processing. Automation software will greatly facilitate this process while taking advantage of emerging technologies. Developing a dynamic plan will also prove invaluable. A little forethought goes a long distance. What You Can Do The bi-annual pilgrimages must continue. Although we have gone a long way with our hardware and software, testing of our methodologies remains a crucial factor to our success. Testing helps maintain our sharpness and allows us to fine-tune our process. Without a full-scale test, you can’t locate all the weaknesses in your plan. Other skill sharpening ideas include unannounced tests, as well as rotating the players on occasion. Your ability to pass or fail reflects on how well prepared your company is for the inconceivable. It is very much like the soccer team that practices for the playoffs and is prepared to win. In this case, substitute soccer team with IS organization and playoffs with cataclysmic disaster. Management is the team sponsor and without its commitment, the process will not possess the respect needed to succeed. The DR plan and the team are integral components of an IS organization that faces an ever growing task. The playing field is changing and growing constantly. The players must be properly equipped in order to harness this dynamic environment. A company’s data is its most precious resource. As Y2K approaches, shouldn’t that resource be protected with a proper amount of zeal? Looking back at a disaster is 20/20. No matter what happens, a learning opportunity will emerge. A successful recovery, however, will make looking back much easier to handle. About the Author |