This year the outlook calls for 12-15 tropical storms, with seven to nine becoming hurricanes, and three to five of these becoming major hurricanes. Is your data center ready for the onslaught?

Web Hosting Data Center Hurricane Preparedness - 7 Tips

1. Prepare for a Hurricane Ahead of Time - Don’t wait until the last minute to check your emergency data center operations. An obvious check includes your backup generator. You should make certain that you have the maximum complement of fuel necessary to run for the maximum duration you expect power to be down. You should absolutely test run your generator for several minutes and monitor its stability well in advance of any expected emergency. Make sure you have a written chain of command and a communication plan in place as well.

2. Track the Path of the Hurricane Carefully - A reliable source of hurricane tracking is http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml. This is the National Weather Service Tropical Prediction Center. There are tropical storm forecasts and advisories – as well as links to expected storm paths and live radar maps.

3. Have Your Emergency Crew in Place Well Ahead of the Storm - Designate your emergency response team and get them in your data center at least 1 full day before the storm is expected to hit. Waiting too long to get the team in place can lead to team members being cut off from your location due to the weather – winds and rain can down power lines and trees, or flood major thoroughfares making transportation impossible.

4. Stock up on Food, Toiletries, and First Aid Supplies - Your emergency team may have to be in place for several days during a major storm. They will most likely be unable to drive out to the store to pick up sundries during the storm. They may also dash into the data center facility at the last minute – forgetting essential toiletries (toothbrush, soap, etc.). Providing these items can free your team up to worry about bigger problems - like keeping the servers running.

5. Give Your Emergency Team Something to Do While They Wait - Gaming consoles, DVDs, magazines, board games, or hourly monitoring tasks can all be invaluable to keep your team members occupied during the long hours of waiting and watching. According to experts who have been through multiple hurricane events - the most important thing is too insure that your team has a comfortable place to sleep.

6. Rehearse Your Worst Case Backup Scenario - Assume that the absolute worst-case thing happens. Complete, utter catastrophe. Then rehearse how you will restore service in a systematic way. This will include completely implementing your backup solution - from start to finish.

7. Keep Your Customer Base Informed of Your Challenges - Make certain that you share your challenges with your customer base proactively. Post regular updates on both the storm and your network operations status in a commonly checked customer area (such as in your control panel). This will serve to assure customers that you are doing everything possible to protect their interests. It will also make any down time easier to manage - as customers could ”see it coming” – rather than being blindsided by it.

Mr. Jim Collins, CEO of Affinity Internet, is no stranger to data center hurricane preparedness. During the 2004 hurricane season, the company’s Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida data centers both survived unscathed from near direct hits by four major hurricanes in the span of 4 months.