IT Application Downtime, Executive Visibility and Disaster Tolerant Computing

This paper examines the relationship among disaster tolerant systems, Information Technology (IT) application operation and availability, and the executive level management visibility necessary for system operational success. The current state of disaster tolerant application systems is explored including an investigation into the reliability and survivability requirements necessary to achieve disaster tolerant system operation through a simplified network architecture analysis. Specific focus is directed towards the risk of IT application downtime attributable to the increasing dependence placed on critical data-driven applications operating in distributed and unbounded networks. A method for disaster tolerance is proposed which mitigates unplanned downtime through a disciplined approach of computer and people based processes implementing specific documentation procedures. In addition, the importance of executive visibility into the system wide impact of downtime and the resultant effects on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of these critical systems is addressed.