#226
In the world of Information Technology, Gartner, Inc. is the 800-pound gorilla. They serve 10,000 organizations, both public and private, and field 3,700 associates in 75 countries. So when they start telling their clients to prepare in a very big way to withstand a pandemic: people listen.
In today’s Computer World, Patrick Thibodeau writes :
Gartner urges IT managers to act quickly on pandemic planning
One suggestion: Prepare supplies for data center quarantine
November 29, 2006 (Computerworld) -- LAS VEGAS -- Gartner Inc. is recommending that businesses complete planning by the second quarter of next year for an influenza pandemic and in particular stock up on supplies that would be needed by data center workers.
Among the suggestions offered today by a Gartner analyst at the research firm's data center conference here: Store 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.
Among the things companies should do, McGee said, is decide whether they intend to keep their data centers operating during a pandemic, and then, if they plan to keep operations going, consider planning for up to a 12-week quarantine.
Read the rest of this article at:
http://tinyurl.com/yljloz
The article goes on to describe other actions companies must take in order to survive, and remain functional during a pandemic, including educating their employees on how to prepare their families for a crisis.
They do not predict a pandemic, but note that pandemics are regular occurrences in human history, and while it is unknown whether avian influenza will explode into global pandemic, the number of deaths related to it are creeping up -- and more appear possible as the disease spreads.
Corporate planning for a pandemic event is both expensive and inconvenient, and Gartner, Inc has taken the risky, but rational step of recommending that businesses quickly devise plans to deal with such a crisis. One has to hope that businesses take this advice seriously.
Twelve months ago, the H5N1 Bird Flu virus, and pandemic flu was mainly a concern for obscure virologists and a hardcore group of Internet flubies. Few took it seriously. Today, more and more people and organizations are waking up to the possibility of a crisis of almost unimaginable proportions.
Frankly, I was happier when I was considered part of the lunatic fringe.
