The Buncefield Oil Disaster – Could your company survive?
So you think you’ve taken the necessary precautions? - You invest heavily in routine back-ups and assume you’ve safeguarded against every eventuality? But it seems that in the aftermath of recent global catastrophes, from natural disasters unfurling at an increasing rate, to the London bombings and the Buncefield Oil disaster, no one can escape the inevitability of data loss.
Take the recent explosion at Buncefield Oil Depot in Hertfordshire. The 200ft blasts, constituting the largest explosion since the Second World War, caused severe damage to more than 80 buildings in the surrounding area, with many business premises completely demolished as a result.
The blast obliterated the data centre of a well-known software provider, where the night shift operators had just finished preparing the firm’s back-up tapes that contained 24 hours worth of data . The unrelenting fires damaged computers containing payroll information and human resources data for the police, local government and fire services, as well as private companies. In an interview with the BBC, the Chief Executive commented that the explosion was so strong that a buried back-up generator was completely ripped from the ground.
The software vendor was fortunate enough to have a solid DR plan in place, but the damage was extensive and it took longer than initially expected to restore services. At least 3 London councils were affected when their IT services came to a halt, interrupting council tax payments, payroll and the operation of council websites .
Likewise, a hospital in Cambridge had to revert to using a manual system for patient information, after its IT services supplier was hit by the blast. It was estimated that it would take a week to restore their services back to normal capacity.
Other companies affected by the disaster include a printer manufacturer, imaging company, online retailer and networks equipment supplier.
Perhaps the harsh consequences of this incident will force companies to realise the importance of contingency planning and the need to have an established relationship with a data recovery provider. Although larger companies have the ability to resume trading relatively quickly, smaller businesses often lack the resources to do so. Ontrack Data Recovery can help businesses, large or small, to recover their data from any type of media, no matter how catastrophic the cause.
Click here for more information on Ontrack Data Recovery services or speak first-hand to a Data Recovery Representative, 0800 243 996
References
‘IT provider recovers from devastating oil depot blast’:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/12/15/HNoildepotblast_1.html?DISASTER%20RECOVERY
‘Plan for disasters, firms urged’:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4574292.stm
As firms count cost of oil depot blast, what are the disaster recovery lessons?’:http://www.computerweekly.com
'Business continuity lessons from Buncefield':
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0278.htm
‘Could your company survive a disaster like Buncefield’:
