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IT industry preparing for a global pandemic

March 19, 2007

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In a new research brief, Gartner is strongly recommending that companies complete their planning by the second quarter of 2007 for an influenza pandemic og global proportions. In particular, Gartner recommends that businesses stock up on supplies that would be needed specifically by data center workers.

Among some of the suggestions offered are, store at least 42 gallons of water per data center worker (enough for a six-week quarantine) and don’t forget food, medical care, cooking facilities, sanitation issues and electricity.

In a quarantined environment, “you are not going anywhere,” said Gartner analyst Ken McGee. As well as ensuring that their own operations continue during such a pandemic, IT managers should also review the contingency plans of their vendors, he said.

Vendor contracts should include service guarantees and “extraordinarily harsh terms if that vendor does not come through,” said McGee.

Among those in the audience during McGee’s presentation was John Stingl, the chief technology officer of Russell Investment Group. During the presentation, McGee said later, he sent a note on his handheld to his administrative assistant to arrange a meeting back at his Tacoma, Wash.-based office about his company’s pandemic-specific planning.

Stingl said his company has a good disaster recovery and business continuity plan. But after hearing McGee’s stark warning, he said he wants to know more about his firm’s plans for a pandemic.

“It was a real eye-popper,” Stingl said of the presentation. McGee did not tell attendees that a pandemic is in the offing. But pandemics are regular occurrences in history, and while it is unknown whether avian flu will explode into a full-fledged global pandemic, the number of deaths related to it are increasing, and more appear possible as the disease spreads.

“The point is, the degree of transmission seems to be increasing from human to human,” McGee added.

Brad Kowal, associate director of the data center at Shands HealthCare in Gainesville, Fla., said his medical centre has had its hands full dealing with business continuity planning aimed at protecting against hurricanes.

“And then you throw this in and are told to get it done by the second quarter. It’s literally stun and shock for me,” he said.

McGee said pandemic planning costs should total no more than five per cent of an IT budget and stressed that the burden shouldn’t be absorbed by the IT budget alone. It should be shared throughout a company, he added.

McGee said, among the things businesses should do is simply decide whether they intend to keep their data centers operating during a pandemic or not. Then, if they plan to keep operations going, consider planning for up to a full 12-week quarantine.

Gartner recommends that companies conduct educational sessions with employees so that they know how to prepare their family households.

In the enterprise, one person should be designated for planning, and business continuity plans will have to be adapted for a pandemic. IT should oversee installation of broadband services to its most critical employees but also assume that there may be failures in public networks.

One attendee, who requested anonymity and said he works at a Fortune 100 insurance company, said his firm has taken pandemic planning very seriously. “We have almost 30,000 workers, and about 33 percent of them will be able to work remotely in the next 6 months,” he said.

A survey asked attendees at the presentation whether they believe a bird flu pandemic will take place in the next three years. Fifty-eight percent said “yes,” 25 percent “no,” and about 17 percent weren't sure.

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Source: IT World Canada