http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/recovery/story/0,10801,104291,00.html By Marc L. Songini AUGUST 31, 2005 COMPUTERWORLD As floodwaters continued to flow into New Orleans today and officials in the Gulf states predicted a death toll from Hurricane Katrina that could reach into the thousands, companies that were forced to evacuate by the storm struggled to get their operations up and running elsewhere. Among those scrambling to stay in business is Integrated Data Systems Inc., a New Orleans-based integrator and hosting services provider. "I don't think anyone has ever coped with anything like this before. The magnitude is pretty enormous," said Robert Leithman, president of Integrated Data Systems. Leithman -- who left the city along with most of its residents ahead of the storm -- said by cell phone that he and his staff are in the process of getting his customers back online. The 18-person company, which has backup facilities in several cities in the U.S., now has basic Web access, instant messaging and Hotmail e-mail capabilities and is looking to get the back-office systems of its customers live. Among those companies is New Orleans-based Tabasco sauce maker McIlhenny Co., for which Integrated Data Systems set up a temporary Web site for customers and e-mail access for employees. "We've got them ripping along right now," Leithman said today. "Things are far from being back to normal, but at least were getting the semblance of it." The main problem for companies in the region is that connectivity and telecommunications are down. "Even with a good plan, which we had, there were still some things we didn't expect, [such] the lack of the ability to communicate." After Katrina hit the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts on Monday, communications virtually ceased. While some cell phone users were able to make outgoing calls, they couldn't receive calls. That forced company employees to buy prepaid cell phone cards for incoming messages. Even before the storm approached Integrated Data Systems had disaster recovery plans in place, with procedures based on lessons learned after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Among those lessons: Make sure company assets and hardware are distributed geographically. The 9/11 attacks taught the company, for instance, to have its backup tapes located in different places, Leithman said. "This was not as shocking [as 911], but it's a lot larger in scope and size," he said. One of the company's hosting centers -- near the stricken New Orleans Superdome, where refugees took shelter from the hurricane -- is inaccessible. Another, located in a bunker in nearby Metairie, La., is live -- but still lacks connectivity, said Leithman. He plans to have it checked on, but to communicate via phone requires driving miles away to get a line. "Even the best-laid plans go awry really quick," said Leithman, who had to leave for Florida on Saturday. The trip, which normally takes about five hours, took 15 as residents of the area fled the approaching storm. Not everyone at Integrated Data Systems was able to get far enough away from the storm. Leithman noted that one company engineer, who thought he was safe in a location that would be "high and dry," had his roof ripped off. "The most interesting thing about the process is [that] first, people are in shock," said Leithman. "Their houses are gone, their lives torn up, and they're worried about their families and things they should be worried about. Then they come out and say, 'I have to have a job, and what do I do?' We're able to help them. In the meantime, we're not thinking of ourselves. It's helpful not have time to think about it." And even as people struggle to come to grips with what has happened in and around New Orleans, Leithman said he is already looking ahead -- trying to learn the lessons from the ongoing disaster. Next time, for instance, he said he plans to buy satellite phones to ensure that communications remain in place. During an earlier hurricane, Integrated Data Systems had rented satellite phones at the last minute. Katrina didn't give the company time to get them. "I promise to own them next time around. They'll be in our possession," he said. Elsewhere in the region, companies such as Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which had three casinos in the region -- one in New Orleans, one in Biloxi, Miss., and one in Gulfport, Miss. -- shut down operations last weekend. In doing so, the Las Vegas-based gaming company moved processing for several key systems from a regional data center in Biloxi to primary data centers in Tennessee and New Jersey, said Tim Stanley, senior vice president and CIO at Harrah's. Systems that were rerouted include hotel, casino, events, ticketing and convention systems, reservations and VIP call centers, the IT help desk, regional data and file servers, e-mail servers, and some network and routing infrastructure, said Stanley. Back-office operations such as finance and human resources were already centralized in New Jersey or in Nevada. The company also has a variety of systems located at the affected properties that can't be operated remotely, including slot and table game systems, sports books, point-of-sale systems, local telephony, security and desktop systems -- "not that those really matter, as the properties are not open," said Stanley. He added that they aren't expected to reopen "for some time." Tom Hoffman contributed to this report. _________________________________________ Attend ToorCon Sept 16-18th, 2005 Convention Center San Diego, California www.toorcon.org
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