Let me share with you the story of two companies. Reliance is a retailer that has taken steps to secure constant connectivity. Its IT director has chosen a data center that offers redundancy in its electrical, cooling and communications systems. He’s also opted to mirror their servers in remote sites so that their mission-critical activities won’t miss a beat if a primary server malfunctions.
The other company, Syscorp, is a company where preparedness takes a back seat to everyday business functions. Its IT director hasn’t invested the time to protect its resources, instead trusting the company’s servers to the often unreliable power grid at the office. That’s all right most of the time, but as Syscorp is about to discover, “most of the time” isn’t good enough.
When a small Ohio power plant falters, it leads to greater strain on surrounding regional plants and produces a chain reaction that knocks out power to the northeastern 
quadrant of the U.S, sending millions of companies scrambling for solutions. That’s when the Reliance Colocation Disaster Recovery Plan swings into action.
Within seconds, standby diesel generation kicks in at Reliance’s colocation center, delivering power to the servers that are at the center of the company’s commerce. Employees with critical tasks at hand are able to perform from the company’s colocation center as if it were their own office space.
Employees at Syscorp aren’t as lucky. Like everyone else in an eight-state area, Syscorp has no power and is at the mercy of the electric company. Connectivity takes days to restore, for which Syscorp’s business and their customers suffer.
Even minor events can have major consequences, especially if you need secure, consistent connectivity. Don’t be at the mercy of a state fair in Ohio or a power surge in Poughkeepsie. Make disaster recovery plans with a sound colocation strategy before a mishap occurs.
