Business Continuity
Payroll Processing Company Kept in Business Despite Widespread Storm Related Damage and Outages
"During the worst storm in recent history, DCS was there to help. The storm eventually overtook our facility, and even redundant enterprise-class internet connections and backup generators were no match for Superstorm Sandy. DCS bent over backward to ensure my company's operations ran smoothly by moving servers and workstations into their facility. My team could still process payrolls, answer phones, and respond to emails when the rest of the region was dark."
- Dan Rifkin, President, PayServ Payroll
Objective
Enable our client to maintain operations despite widespread power and internet outages affecting the region in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
Approach
We worked alongside our client to develop a plan of action that could be deployed rapidly to ensure minimal interruption and maximize Business Continuity.
Actions Taken
- We moved server and workstation hardware from the client facility to the DCS offices.
- Ensure that email and VoIP services are bridged correctly and quickly, routing every critical business application to our location.
- Continuous on-the-spot support while the client was relocated.
- Leveraged enterprise-grade Disaster Recovery and cloud storage to ensure no data loss.
- When able, returned client's hardware to their home facility after hours to ensure a seamless transition back to ordinary business.
Business Benefits
- No meaningful downtime for our client beyond direct, safety-related closure.
- No lost business or revenue for clients.
- Developed a profound appreciation for the value of disaster recovery solutions.
An Immediate Response
Hurricane-force winds, downed trees, and extended power outages are a nightmare for homes and businesses. Unfortunately, time and tide wait for no man, and what happens if your business deals with customers in unaffected areas of the country or other parts of the world? Unfortunately, the devastation in the northeast is nothing more than a few shots on the evening news on the west coast. Imagine doing business with a company that underwent significant downtime due to a natural disaster. How long would your patience hold out? One day? Two? Maybe a week? What if that company managed your email or processed your payroll? All of a sudden, the prospect of significant downtime is downright horrifying. You would probably seek a new company to do business with. If you are a company facing downtime, every second you are out of commission increases the chances of losing revenue, customers, or other severe repercussions.
One of our customers faced just such a dilemma in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Their business was dead in the water with no power and no internet access. Even the best infrastructure setup and disaster recovery plan don't help much when nearly an entire county is quite literally in the dark. Delaney Computer Services, however, weathered the storm with nothing more than few flickers in our lights. We were quick to leverage this good fortune to assist our customers and jumped into action. After business hours on Tuesday, our techs traveled to our customer's offices and physically removed their servers. We transported them to our Sloatsburg, NY, office and spun up their critical operations in our location. Our conference room has become a separate office, and for the past week their employees have been working out of our location.
As the days wore on and power or internet issues persisted, we expanded our efforts, moving workstations to our facility as well. Utilizing VPN technology, other employees were able to access their work computers from home and continue working remotely.
What makes this effort so amazing is that, aside from downtime directly related to the storm and legitimate safety concerns, our customer suffered literally zero meaningful downtime. As soon as people could get to work, they were working. Despite Sandy's chaos and devastation wrought on the region, our customers continued business as usual, ensuring that their critical tasks were accomplished and their business not only survived, but stands as a strong example of the lengths DCS will happily go to for our clients and customers.
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