With hurricane season on its way, many companies are once again thinking about what they need to do to protect their assets and to keep their businesses up and running in the case of a natural disaster. And while it is certainly important to plan for the worst as bad weather looms, the smartest thing a company can do is prepare year-round to ensure the safety and security of its infrastructure.
Host.net, a South Florida based Internet and network services company, was designed with this goal in mind. “We keep clients connected and protected,” said Lenny Chesal, executive vice-president of sales and chief marketing officer. “A business can be affected by many events; hurricanes, power outages, even a car running off the road and hitting a poleits important for their networks and data to be protected.”
And protection is not just about preparing for power, environmental or equipment failure threats. “Oftentimes risk managers and consultants talk about the big things, like fire or espionage affecting network security,” he added. “The fact is, the largest security threat to a business usually comes from internal personnel.”
To combat all of these factors, Host.net offers a myriad of enterprise-level business continuity solutions. These include an enterprise-class colocation facility in Boca Raton where clients can physically house their core and/or backup network equipment, robust and reliable 10/100/1000 MetroE connections, a national fiber-optic, layer 2 network, as well as Voice over IP (VoIP) and Managed Network Security.
At Host.nets Palm Beach County colocation data center, equipment is kept safe in quarter, half and full- cabinets as well as custom cage space. These cabinets and cages are housed in two colocation facilities, designed to withstand hurricane-force winds, and backed by massive CRAC units (computer room air conditioning), the latest UPS technology and diesel generators that can run several days without refueling. The buildings security system includes biometric hand scanners, integrated access control, and video surveillance by over 100 cameras monitored by on-site Host.net staff 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“Whats important for people to know is that there is a safe place to house their equipment locally at a cost within their budgets,” said Michael Kopp, senior account manager. “This is not a million dollar solution; they can house servers in our data center for as little as $450 a month, which includes a locking quarter-size cabinet, UPS and diesel generator backed power, and Internet connectivity through multiple Tier-One global carriers. Thats less than the cost of a typical T-1 line.”
This ability to protect and access data is especially important to health care industry clients who deal with very sensitive information and numerous regulations concerning how data is handled. Host.net also makes it possible for multi-office/multi-practice locations to connect to each other and to their core network using Host.nets MetroE and colocation solution as a hub, enabling them to share applications such as scheduling and billing and to send files back and forth without having to house these systems in each practice location.
“I believe the main factors that make Host.net unique is our NOC and Customer Care team and our interaction with our clients and the local tech community; weve become the portal where enterprise-level clients and IT support providers including systems integrators, network service providers and ASP companies interface and collaborate,” said Kopp. “Our staff has the knowledge, experience and passion for great service which allows them to design, implement and maintain solutions in a way far superior to our competition. We pride ourselves on doing a lot of little things right.”
This philosophy has led to Host.net being recognized as the fastest-growing tech company in South Florida for multiple years by the South Florida Business Journal, and has also enabled it to grow from a two-man shop to a company with 25 employees that has doubled its revenue each year for the past four years. This September, Host.net will complete construction on an additional 7,000 sq.ft. of colocation space and will also be moving into its new 4,200-sq.ft. Network Operations Center, while adding more disaster recovery office space (DR Space) for potential clients.
“Two years ago, we established temporary headquarters for businesses that had their offices blown away by hurricanes, and the space was extremely popular,” said Chesal. “So we decided to build DR space where companies can come if their offices are destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.” Companies can rent as little as 200 square feet up to 1200 square feet. Host.net will also custom build-out space as necessary.
“Its important for CEOs, CTOs and risk managers to consider that just because last year was a light hurricane season that doesnt mean this year will be. And more importantly, they should have a plan in place to protect their infrastructure and keep their business running regardless of weather or hurricanes,” said Kopp. “For a lot companies, it is out-of-sight, out-of-mind, but its never too early to make a business continuity plan. People have forgotten what its like to be without power and communications for several days, but I can guarantee when the first cone of death shows up on the radar screen, our phone will be ringing off the hook.”
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