Disaster Recovery Journal - Spring Issue 2001

DISASTER RECOVERY
JOURNAL

Return to the Spring 2001
Index

P. O. Box 510110
St. Louis, MO 63151
(314) 894-0276
Fax: (314) 894-7474
Internet www.drj.com
E-mail drj@drj.com

PUBLISHER &
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

SENIOR EDITOR
Janette Ballman
janette@drj.com

EDITOR
Michelle Saab
michelle@drj.com

COPY EDITORS
Edward H. Pearce, CBCP
drj@drj.com
Richard Sandhofer
richards@drj.com

INTERNET /
ADVERTISING
Robert Arnold
bob@drj.com

_____________

Corporate

President/CEO
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

Vice President
Robert Arnold
bob@drj.com

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
Patti Fitzgerald, CBCP
patti@drj.com

CONFERENCE REGISTRAR
Merce Knese
mercedes@drj.com

CIRCULATION
Laura Baugh
laurab@drj.com

INTERNATIONAL
CONTACTS
England: Thom Hetherington
Business Continuity
Phone: 0161-237-1007
thomh@tempus.demon.co.uk

Australia: Anthony J. Harvey
Journal of Business Continuity
Phone: 0011-613-953-0055-8
fax: 0011-613-953-0528
sector@notability.com.au

Japan: Shinji Hosotsubo
Quake Japan Co., Ltd.
Phone: 03-3215-2880
fax: 03-3215-2881

Brazil: Jose Carlos Ferreira
Disaster Recovery Mercosul
Phone: 55 11 3666-9506
conc2000@uol.com.br
ww.drms.com.br

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Top Ten Questions to Ask a Recovery Services Vendor

- by David A. Johnson, CBCP, FBCI

The recovery services marketplace is complex, dynamic, and highly competitive. The major players in this marketplace offer a broad range of services which can support cost-effective business continuity strategies. However, if you are purchasing such services for the first time, you probably do not know all the right questions to ask a prospective vendor. As a result, you may not get the best services for the best price, nor select the most appropriate vendor with which to enter a long-term relationship.
If your company is considering the use of commercial recovery services, you should, at a minimum, get detailed answers to the following “Top Ten” questions.

1. How well would the proposed services satisfy your functional requirements? Be sure that the vendor’s services provide all the functionality you currently require, whether this be for mainframe processing, desktop computing, call center operations, trading floor operations, e-Commerce applications, printing and mailing services, Internet access, e-mail, voice mail, etc. Also consider whether the vendor offers services which you may require in the future.

2. How well would the proposed services handle your operational volumes? Be sure that the vendor’s services provide sufficient capacity to meet current requirements, and that these services are scalable, so that capacity can be expanded as your operational volumes increase. Consider such factors as: communications bandwidth; mainframe or server processing speeds, memory, and disk storage; number of workstations, PC’s, printers, tape drives, phones, voice mail boxes, etc.

3. How quickly would the proposed services be available in a localized event (i.e. one affecting your company only), and for how long? Consider such factors as: lead time between declaration and access to the recovery facility; travel time for recovery personnel; shipment time for hardware and backup tapes; installation time for hardware; restoration time for software and data; lead time to reroute voice and data communications; maximum occupancy time at recovery facility; etc.

4. How quickly would the proposed services be available in a widespread event (i.e. one affecting multiple companies), and for how long? Consider such factors (in addition to those noted above) as: likelihood of the vendor being affected by the same event as you; number of other companies close to you which subscribe to same vendor services; number of companies to which the vendor could provide services concurrently without bumping to other locations; vendor’s procedures for sharing services or bumping clients in the event of multiple declarations; availability of comparable services at other vendor locations; increased travel and/or shipment time for the alternate locations; border crossing implications; vendor experience with multiple concurrent declarations; etc.

5. How compatible would the proposed services be with your normal mode of operations? Consider such factors as: network topology and data communication architecture; hardware makes and models; software levels; voice communication systems and features; access to external services; etc. Also consider general working conditions, and effects on staffing levels, hours of operation, workflow, interdepartmental communication, etc.

6 How easy would it be to test the proposed services? Consider such factors as: amount of test time available annually; equipment and services provided for testing purposes; lead time for scheduling tests; ability to schedule tests at convenient times; minimum and maximum duration of scheduled tests; ability to cancel or reschedule tests; number of personnel required for testing; travel and transportation logistics; downtime implications; etc.

7. How expensive would it be to initiate the proposed services? Consider such factors as: vendor set-up charges; purchase costs for equipment and supplies; additional software licenses; etc.

8. How expensive would it be to maintain the proposed services? Consider such factors as: service subscription fees; incremental fees for upgrades; annual fee increases; communication charges; leasing costs for any additional hardware; maintenance costs for any additional hardware or software; charges for storing your own equipment at the vendor’s site; etc.

9. How expensive would it be to test the proposed services? Consider such factors as: the amount of annual test time provided as part of the basic service; charges for additional test time; communication costs; travel and accommodation expenses for test personnel; overtime costs for test personnel; shipping costs for tapes and equipment; short term equipment rental costs; downtime costs; etc.

10. How expensive would it be to use the proposed services? Consider such factors as: declaration fees; minimum usage fees; on-going usage fees; charges for optional services; communication costs; travel and accommodation expenses for employees; overtime costs for employees; shipping costs for tapes and equipment; short term equipment rental costs; etc.

The above list of questions should provide you with a good starting point for discussions with a recovery service vendor. The list is not, of course, exhaustive. You would probably also want to ask questions about technical support, account support, contract terms, vendor experience, client references, and so on. There is rarely any harm in asking too many questions, but there can be harm in asking too few. Remember, you are not just purchasing services, you are selecting a vendor upon which corporate survival may ultimately depend.

Dave Johnson, CBCP, FBCI, is the Canadian Solution Leader for Ernst & Young’s Continuity & Availability service line. He is President of the South Western Ontario Chapter of the Disaster Recovery Information Exchange, and is a member of the Journal’s Editorial Advisory Board.