This month’s edition of the ABA Journal features an excellent article called Preparing for the Worst in which Siobhan Morrissey, a lawyer based in Miami, FL, outlines the importance of disaster recovery plans for every business.  Although a lot of disaster preparedness is common sense, the degree to which most businesses are unprepared is astounding.  According to Morrissey, “most of the infrastructure that keeps a modern society functioning is in the hands of private business.”  Thus, not only is adequate preparation essential for the continuity of the business itself, but in turn protects the very fibers of modern day society.  It is estimated that over 85 percent of our critical infrastructure is controlled by private enterprise.   One only need to look at Hurricane Katrina to see the ramifications of such a breakdown in basic infrastructure.

We take certain pieces of infrastructure forgranted.  According to a simulation conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton, an avian flu outbreak could ultimately cause an overload of much of the Internet and other basic services.  Cell phone service, landlines, Internet access, even clear roads are all assumptions and not guarantees in the wake of any disaster.  After all, without people behind such enterprises, they simply cannot be sustained.  Even something as simple as a blackout can devastate whole areas of a city, as we’ve recently seen here in NYC.

Morrissey argues that a lot more needs to be done in terms of coordination efforts between government and private enterprise for disaster preparedness.  FedEx and Wal-Mart today have infrastructures in place to move large quantities of goods quickly and efficiently that rival any modern army.  To exclude them or other private enterprise from any disaster recovery plan for a city or region is to forsake a huge and necessary asset. 

Business, and ultimately much of life, is about risk mitigation.  One of the key areas of this is looking on the horizon at what could happen, and taking the necessary steps to ensure that when disaster strikes, you and your business will be alright. 

Every summer, the words of Eddie Murphy’s impersonation of James Brown echo in my mind: “It’s too hot!  In the hot tub!”  Well, it’s certainly too hot, but waiting for the subway in Manhattan isn’t quite like stepping into Eddie Murphy’s hot tub: there’s nothing relaxing about it.   

Con Edison set a new record for energy usage yesterday, prompting every New Yorker to fear a city-wide blackout.  The residents of Queens are just now beginning to recover from the 8-day blackout that devastated local businesses and residents alike.   We’ve found the Gothamist to have excellent local coverage of these happenings.

The city as a whole certainly has a lot to learn from the recent blackout and current peak energy usage.  We’re not going to cast any political stones here, but we do now that individuals and businesses alike must take every precaution available.  Obviously, employers should look after their employees first, making sure they’ve got a way to cool down and keeping them plenty hydrated.  Every business’s disaster recovery plan should cover what to do in the event of a blackout - will your business shut down completely, or do you have an alternative?  Over at our data center, we’re sleeping soundly (well, as long as our AC is running) knowing that we’ve got diesel generators on standby.