Survey shows effects of August blackout on US IT systems

The power blackout that occurred in North America on August 14th had significant effects on the United States’ IT systems according to a survey of the nation's enterprise data centres.

More than 500 data centre managers and executives responded to an online survey conducted in early September by AFCOM's Data Center Institute, a leading think-tank on data centre related issues.

Among the survey's findings were:
* Almost one third of the US's enterprise data centres were affected in some fashion by the power outage, although relatively few lost power completely.

* Among those data centres affected by the outage, there were negative economic effects:
- 2% report that they lost more than $10 million as a result of the outage
- 1% report losses of between $5 million - $10 million
- 3% report losses between $1 million and $5 million
- 7% report losses between $500,000 - $1 million
- 10% report losses of $100,000 - $500,000.

* Enterprise data centres affected by the power report having a variety of responses to the outage, ranging from complete shutdown, to shifting to backup power sources, to losing access to critical applications, or invoking disaster recovery procedures. Of those that were affected, most switched to onsite backup generators as sources of power and a relatively small percentage lost power completely.

* Both survey respondents as a whole, and those whose data centres were affected by the blackout, plan on additional training and testing of backup power devices and existing disaster recovery plans in response to the power failure. Data centres executives, affected by the outage, plan on more training and equipment testing than do those who were unaffected.

* 65 percent of survey respondents report that the blackout will have no effect on their disaster recovery budget. Of those noting a budgetary increase, 65 percent indicate that it will be less than 5 percent.

www.afcom.com

•Date: 16th September 2003 • Region: N.America •Type: Article •Topic: Power man.
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