by Brian Brignac | Sep 8, 2009 | Archived, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery
On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 due to the spread of the H1N1 virus. The virus, also known as Swine Flu, has rapidly established itself and will continue to persist in the coming months as the virus continues to move through susceptible populations.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released a guidance report which recommends actions that employers should take now to decrease the spread of seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu in the workplace and to help maintain business continuity during the 2009-2010 flu season. The document states that employers who have developed pandemic plans should revise their plans in light of the current 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak to take into account the extent and severity of disease in their community. CDC anticipates that more communities may be affected than were in the spring/summer 2009, and/or more severely affected reflecting wider transmission and possibly greater impact. (more…)
by Brian Brignac | Jun 12, 2009 | Archived, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery
A computer glitch stopped trading for 40 minutes in more than 200 stocks at the New York Stock Exchange today. One of the key computer servers used to conduct trading lost connectivity to the trading network. As a result, stocks such as General Electric and ExxonMobil were unable to be traded.
Until a backup server was put in place, trading in those shares was stopped on the floor and the world witnessed the NYSE in chaos. Any trades sent to the NYSE during the time of the outrage were immediately cancelled and the brokers were notified. If a trade was denied during the time the NYSE’s system was down, it would have been rerouted temporarily to an alternative market or exchange. NYSE spokesman Ray Pellecchia stated, “We’ll review the problem tonight, but it’s back to business as usual.”
While we recognize the complexity of running the NYSE is vast, it seems like anything this important to the U.S. and world economy should have better data protection and continuity plans in place. One has to wonder the cost in lost trades and missed opportunities.
by Brian Brignac | Jun 5, 2009 | Archived, Cybersecurity
The National Archives lost a computer hard drive containing massive amounts of sensitive data from the Clinton administration. The drive went missing from the Archives facility while Archive members were converting the Clinton administration information to a digital records system. The drive contained 1 terabyte of data, which is enough information to fill millions of books. The data ranged from Secret Service and White House operating procedures to social gatherings and political records, in addition to Social Security numbers.
The hard drive was located in an area where at least 100 badge-holders passed. National Archives members have known that the drive was missing since March 24. It has not yet been determined if the loss was the result of theft of accidental loss.
The National Archives is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the missing computer hard drive.
by Brian Brignac | May 4, 2009 | Archived, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery
In July of 1993, eight individuals were arrested and later convicted for plotting terrorist attacks on key sites in Manhattan. Such key sites included: the St. Regis, the Waldorf-Astoria and the UN Plaza hotels, as well as the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. VP of Counter Terrorism and Corporate Security at Stratfor Fred Burton stated, “The militants planned to storm the island armed with automatic rifles, grenades and improvised explosive devices.” Luckily this specific plan, which was later identified as the Landmarks Plot, failed. The goal of the attack was to kill as many people as possible. (more…)
by Brian Brignac | Mar 23, 2009 | Archived, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery
The Boston Globe and other outlets reported this weekend that Carbonite lost data for 7,500 customers. Many of these customers were able to make fresh backups before they suffered any real losses. Some, however, were not. Those who were not recieved apologies and credits. All 7,500 most likely lost any prior versions (if Carbonite even keeps prior versions).
In a nutshell, the fundamental difference between Carbonite and Global Data Vault (more…)
