The holiday season is a time for festivities and goodwill but for the data centre it can bring a triple threat of problems in terms of people, weather and technology.
At this time of year, everyone wants time off and that means reduced levels of support. This doesn't generally cause a problem until something happens, so it’s important to ensure you have key people available just in case the worst happens.
As we know, winter also means bad weather, be it snow, rain or wind. They all increase the chances of disruption to the data centre either directly or indirectly.
The winter of 2013 was one of the wettest in recent history. Flooding and a subsequent fire at Gatwick airport took one of its main terminals offline on Christmas Eve leaving thousands of travellers struggling to get home. Although such extreme events are rare, you should always have backup plans in place.
And lastly, businesses often forget to take into account the demand caused by people working from home at this time of year.
When the new xbox and PlayStation launched in 2013, both networks saw a huge jump in demand over the holiday period that led to customers having difficulty accessing online services. The effects of this kind of disruption are often felt long after the event, so its important to ensure your services can scale easily to deal with these increased demands.
So for a merry Christmas, make sure you plan ahead and communicate your contingency plans to both your staff and customers. With careful planning, any organisation can survive the holiday season.
