Apple's data center fire emphasizes the value of IT readiness

Even the most advanced, well-financed data facilities are vulnerable to mother nature. For instance, a massive blaze recently overtook Apple's newest global data network command center located in Mesa, Arizona. By the time the project was finished, it was expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the area, according to Datacenter Dynamics.

Unfortunately, the flames damaged both the roof and interior of the facility, hindering the project and subsequent employment growth. The tragic accident also highlighted the need for data center managers in all industries to stay wary of the various scenarios, such as a fire, that could abruptly bring down a data center.

Natural disasters can strike any facility
One of the biggest errors that any IT manager can make is ignoring the threat of the unknown to the data center. A simple power outage can have dire consequences on an unprepared facility and such dangers are not entirely uncommon.

According to Data Center Knowledge, a Bureau of Labor study noted that 20 percent of all businesses are expected to endure a serious power outage, flood, fire or another natural disaster during their lifetime. Data centers are particularly vulnerable to these dangers and leaving them unchecked is bad for business. That's why it makes sense for IT managers to invest in a comprehensive disaster response strategy.

Often a diverse strategy is the most effective
Your on-site backup architecture is just as vulnerable to the rest of your facility to a natural disaster, so relying on this solution to save your data is a risky approach. It makes more sense to take advantage of technology like remote console servers that make it easy to transfer data from one facility to another. This approach ensures that the most important information in storage is safely backed up in a less vulnerable location.

Make sure employees are ready in advance
Preparing your workers for an IT disaster is a wasted effort if they never get a chance to practice their assigned roles. Be sure to simulate at least two or three different disaster simulations so your team is faster to react to potential problems. There should also be an established, company-wide disaster recovery plan put into place. Getting every level of the company on the same page will ensure that key files are recovered without incident.

Preparing for the unexpected helps to make your data center more resilient.

Perle's wide range of 1 to 48 port Perle Console Servers provide data center managers and network administrators with secure remote management of any device with a serial console port. Plus, they are the only truly fault tolerant Console Servers on the market with the advanced security functionality needed to easily perform secure remote data center management and out-of-band management of IT assets from anywhere in the world.