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Click Here for a Printable Version Business Continuity Chronicles By Belinda Wilson, CBCP EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of columns featuring the members of our executive council. Through these personal accounts, we hope to not only highlight their careers, but also give a 10-sided view of the history of the disaster recovery/business continuity industry. After graduating college, I worked as a data center manager for Intel at one of their wafer fabrication plants, which at that time, required 5x24 availability. It was in this position that I learned about the “cost” of downtime from an IT perspective as well as the direct impact downtime had on the business for three shifts a day. At that time, systems still required preventative maintenance, and in doing so, I learned that for HP to test our machines on the weekend would cost $1,200, yet if they came during the week, it would be at no charge. At the time it didn’t make sense. As a recent college grad, $1,200 was a lot of money. I remember asking my manager, which of these two options were the worst? Shutting down production for the day, so HP can come for free, or paying $1,200 for weekend work? When analyzed, I found that the cost of bringing the plant to a complete halt was negligible compared to the cost for HP to come during the weekend, and the lesson learned was invaluable. It was through this hands-on experience that I realized the cost of downtime and the direct impact stopping production had on the overall business. In 1986, I joined HP as a systems engineer with a focus on data center management. It was at this stage of my career I helped customers manage efficient and effective operations. One service we provided was a data center audit or assessment. What became clear from performing these audits was that disaster recovery planning was always the No. 1 area of weakness and grossly overlooked. In 1988, HP became dedicated to providing “disaster recovery services,” which included a lot of customer education and assistance in designing and building a disaster recovery plan, and helping them understand how to take the necessary steps to smoothly execute on that plan. As part of this work, I was charged with developing a worldwide consulting portfolio for business continuity services that HP still offers its customers today. These services were designed based upon the needs we heard our customers asking for and our success today is based on our deep experience in this area. More than two years ago, we recognized the need to integrate HP’s technologies and services into its business continuity and availability (BC&A) offering. We worked to pull together all of the products and services within HP and from our partners that would result in a complete portfolio to address customers’ needs. Rather than focusing solely on products and IT disaster recovery, we recognized the need to take an objective, holistic view of each customer’s business to identify each and every individual weakness. From there, a highly tailored operational risk model is then created to address both the IT and business demands so they can be synchronized to capitalize on change. What’s changed since 1988 is that until recently, BCP took a backburner to C-level executives’ annual business plans. Previously, only people deep in IT or BC managers really thought about business continuity. Today, companies are starting to understand this is a business decision, not an IT or a technical decision. It hasn’t so much been new developments or innovations that we’ve seen, but an increase of business continuity planning incorporated into the overall company culture. With our recent experience protecting customers during the hurricane season, we could actually see the difference between customers who rehearsed their plans and those who didn’t. With those that did, the end result was a faster return to operations and business as usual. For customers who didn’t rehearse, there was an apparent disconnect in their internal teams, leading to undue stress and frustration in an already stressful environment. In hindsight, customers that hadn’t rehearsed have definitely included business continuity planning and rehearsing into their plans for 2005 and have begun to build it into their culture. While it was once considered an IT project, the business continuity landscape has changed drastically. What was once perceived as an option, is mandatory, and an obvious must-have to stay competitive and in business. Key drivers such as corporate governance and living in the demands of a 7x24 environment, continue to feed the momentum of the industry. And as BC professionals, we need to be flexible to help provide the necessary services to protect our clients, our customers, our partners, and ourselves, not just for the event but also for business resumption, stability and long-term brand. I get asked typically what made me choose this field and my response
is that it really chose me. In 1992, when I asked our wedding coordinator
what were the contingency plans for the reception should an earthquake
occur, I realized I was destined to stay. Belinda Wilson, CBCP, is the executive director of Business Continuity & Availability (BC&A) Services at Hewlett-Packard. She is a member of the DRJ Executive Council and vice chair of DRI International. Wilson is a globally recognized expert in this field and leads her team of sales, consultants, delivery, and engineers for HP. ©Copyright 2005 Systems Support Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without the express written permission of System Support Inc. is prohibited.
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