Business Continuity
We take every step to ensure the availability of computing resources in the event of a business interruption. To this end, we have created a robust strategy to maintain the availability, integrity, and privacy of our customers’ data.
All production servers are housed in our secure, hurricane-resistant primary data center with on-site power protection and generation. Redundant standby servers are housed in an offsite data center hosted by a tier-one global disaster recovery service provider. Data is replicated near real-time to our host site and applied asynchronously to ensure maximum data recoverability in a minimum amount of time. We ensure the availability of network connectivity via redundant communications circuits and hardware at each of our locations. We validate the recoverability of each system during regular testing of our continuity procedures.
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Secure data centers
All data-processing equipment is housed in secured data centers. Separate power distribution panels minimize electrical disruptions caused by events elsewhere in the facility. The data center uses an un-interruptible power system (UPS) for power conditioning, and an onsite standby generator as an alternative power source. Redundant A/C units provide the data center with climate conditioning. Access to the data center is restricted to critical personnel. All guests are escorted and a log of data center access is maintained.
Data replication
We implement multi-site heterogeneous data availability strategies. Based on customer needs, we employ methods ranging from daily file copies to near real-time block-level replication to ensure recoverability of data.
Hardware redundancy
We practice hardware redundancy in order to ensure server stability in the event of a component failure. The server environment consists of primary and standby, or “fail-over,” servers. The fail-over servers are brought online in the event a primary server fails. Additionally, each server has redundant critical components including processors, power supplies, network cards, and hard disks. The hard disk array is in a RAID configuration. On-the-shelf spares are kept onsite for all critical components.
System monitoring
We use an automated monitoring and notification solution to report significant network events. Monitoring occurs at scheduled intervals for all critical devices such as servers and networking devices. Database availability is verified via SQL connectivity, and database integrity is confirmed via appropriate SQL query checks. System administrators are notified instantly of failure events, and status change reports are reviewed daily.
Scenario-based continuity strategies
We have designed several scenario based strategies to ensure continuity of operations. While it is impossible to plan for every potential event, we have based our continuity strategies upon the failure or unavailability of the various components within the environment. These strategies include “worst case scenario” planning. We conduct ongoing planning, implementation, and testing of disaster recovery procedures for all of our systems. This effort is coordinated throughout all organizations within Saddle Creek and involves the use of our offsite data center and alternate processing facilities.
Offsite failover data center
We contract with a proven third-party, tier-one global provider for a managed offsite failover data center. Failover servers and network equipment are housed in this secure facility to provide business continuity in the event of a disaster at the primary data center.