Approximately one thousand industry professionals joined DatacenterDynamics at its Converged New York event yesterday, March 12, at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Thought leaders, industry specialists and experts gathered to network, brainstorm and discuss the data center industry's hottest topics and trends. Not surprisingly, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was at the top of everyone’s minds and in many conversations.
tw telecom’s Vice President and General Manager for Manhattan, Robert Bianco, was one of four panelists who presented on the conference’s panel titled, “Regional Resilience and Superstorm Sandy.”
Bianco, a leading industry expert on business continuity and disaster recovery, as well as optimal network solutions, contributed to the discussion focusing on the regional challenges faced by critical environments in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and models for resiliency moving forward. Others who participated on the panel, and featured in photo below (from left to right): Paul Hines, Vice President of Data Center Operations & Engineering for Sentinel Data Centers; Tokumbo Shobowale, Chief Business Operations Officer, City of New York, and moderated by Peter Miscovich, Managing Director of Strategic Consulting for Jones Lang LaSalle. (Robert Bianco sits second to the right.)
Observing the key points that were made on the panel, the overall consensus is that Hurricane Sandy opened a lot of eyes, and that more than ever throughout the industry, businesses and thought leaders are taking different, more mature views of infrastructure and every day business – and what they can do to prevent the repercussions that left many out of power, off the grid, and out of commission after the storm.
“Sandy hit our region very hard,” commented Bianco. “First coming back into the city after the storm, my team and I didn’t know what to expect after seeing thousands without power, water, and mass destruction everywhere. When I learned of tw telecom’s network and how we were the only telecom provider at that time running in the building, it was just a great feeling, and humbling to see what was going on as our team got down to business, helping other businesses, and connecting everybody we could. While tw telecom customers were minimally impacted, as a result of our resilient fiber network, solid preparation and collaboration of our local teams, we can still take away lessons from Sandy, some of which include being aware of where our equipment is being placed in buildings, how best to bring fuel into the city in the case of a disaster, and ideas on even better preparing for the next time; getting to the next level. Because, as much as we don’t like to think it, an event like [Sandy] will happen again.”
Hines commented that staying in close contact with local municipalities and utility providers is a must before, during, and after a storm or similar disaster. Tokumbo added that operating procedures need to be in place beforehand, and as a leader for the City of New York, posed the question involving how to get millions of people in and out of the city during a disaster? While the City can and does certainly arrange these evacuation plans, what it really comes down to is perfecting the execution of them.
Since Sandy, Hines observed, more and more businesses continue to outsource their data centers, taking due diligence to learn more about the importance of resiliency and effective BCDR plans.
The conversation is continuing, and although the storm is months behind us, the risk of another storm or similar disaster occurring is a viable one – and businesses must continue to work hard, network, prepare, plan, and successfully execute.
Stay tuned to Telecom News Now for more on the aftermath of Sandy and how companies like tw telecom continue to succeed in connecting Manhattan and beyond.
To learn more about tw telecom Manhattan, visit http://www.twtelecom.com/NYC.
For upcoming DatacenterDynamics Converged events, go to http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/conference.
