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Today’s business world is one filled with seemingly infinite possibilities for disaster recovery solutions.  There are hardware solutions and software solutions: Hardware load balancers, Server Clustering, Virtual Machines, Automated Tape Libraries, Backup to Disk, and Offsite Storage.  The list goes on and on, and it will probably never end.  One, or a combination of any of these solutions, can meet the needs of business when it comes to high availability and quick recovery from both small and large scale disasters.  For all of the great convenience and piece of mind that these types of technology give us, they are only half of the recovery equation.

What is the other half?  Testing. Testing does two things for your recovery strategy: it identifies weaknesses, and it alerts you to misconceptions about your overall strategy. Weakness in a plan is just that, weakness.  It is common to see people try to gloss over or even hide deficiencies that appear during testing.  Don’t be afraid of the results and don’t avoid them.  Fix them. Finding hidden problems is the point of carrying out exercises and scenarios.  It is so much easier to find solutions to issues in a non-production environment than it is to do it when you are in a real situation. (more…)

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Hi there.  The name’s Robroy.  You don’t know me, but – can I ask a personal question?  It’s about your medical history.

Have you ever had amnesia?

No?  Me neither.  In fact, I have never even met someone who had it.  And yet, rare as it is in real life, amnesia must be one of the most commonly dramatized illnesses in all of Hollywood.

Goldie Hawn lost her memory in Overboard.  Mickey Rourke lost his memory in Angel Heart.  So did Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic.  And Jim Carrey in … what was that one called … Spotless in Seattle? (more…)

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You’ve set your Goal for 2010 and Management expects you to perform on them.  You’ve spent the last few weeks of the year debating what is attainable, and what is measurable.  Now what? In order for you to achieve your goal, you must first believe you can attain your goal (sometimes believing you already have it, helps).

Let’s relate this to Golf. (more…)

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Near our office in Columbia, MD we have a sandwich shop called Jimmy Johns.  At first glance you see that they are nothing special. They look like any other chain shop – Quizno’s, Subway, etc.  However, that is simply where the comparison stops.  First, you place your order (mayI suggest a number 9 with no hots, and a bag of Jalapeno chips). Before you are even finished paying and receiving your change, the sandwich is handed to you in less than sixty seconds. Next, you begin to eat it, realizing that the sandwich is absolutely amazing – high end meats, fresh in-store baked bread… mmmm! When you are finished, you realize that your lunch experience has been all of 15 minutes. You think to yourself “WOW WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE.” (more…)

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