Plan for mobile device failure
Mike Talon
Published: 07 Feb 2006 13:05 GMT
Disaster recovery (DR) planning can often take odd twists and turns. One of the most interesting is what you will do if your mobile users suddenly need to deal with services going offline. Mobile end users often rely solely on data systems to let them know what is going on back at the office. This means that if a disaster hits the organisation, the very systems these users would rely on to tell them what happened and what to do next may be the systems that have taken an unfortunate leave of absence.
The good news is that mobile users tend to have the most flexibility in dealing with a DR situation than any other user in the firm. First off, they're already using tools like VPN technologies and Web-based application solutions. Therefore, while they are tracking back to a specific set of servers, they are often doing so through dynamic location technologies, like DNS addresses and Web sites; instead of using systems hard-coded to report to a specific server name or IP address.
Essentially, this means that if you have the ability to fail over your data systems, you can do so safely while re-routing these mobile users to the new systems effectively. The end-user will probably need to restart individual applications, and in some cases restart their computers, but the good news is that most end users have become accustomed to taking such steps in the event of errors and other anomalies. Those who aren't will usually be in the minority, and can be called if they have issues connecting again.
If you cannot fail over, you will need to have alternate methods for getting the word out about how long the systems will be offline. If a messaging or email system is struck, you will quickly find that the end users have little or no way to actually find out what went wrong without your interaction. Unlike office workers, word of mouth will be somewhat ineffective for quick distribution of information. Phone trees and specialised alert Web pages should be configured well in advance of the emergency, and proper training should be put into play so that end-users know how to use them. This way, if services are interrupted, the users don't get lost in the shuffle. They simply go to the appropriate page and log in to be informed about what systems are down, or await a phone call that the problem is being taken care of. Pre-configured hotlines and voicemail messages can also be an effective means of getting the message out to the end-users, and allows your staff to get off the phones and get to work on the issues.
Setting up for mobile users is tricky enough when you're implementing the original systems — you definitely don't want to create additional difficulties by failing to plan effectively for your mobile users in DR situations.
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