Behind the Scenes: Cervalis Business Continuity Center
Thrives in Dutchess County

Published in Smart Locations, Summer 2004

When Cervalis purchased a former IBM data center in Dutchess County in August 2000 to retrofit as a business continuity center, the company knew that reliable data backup was a growing concern for companies. What they didn't anticipate was the explosion in demand
by corporate America for backup data and disaster recovery facilities in the wake of September 11.

Cervalis, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut, now has more than 100 customers - including prominent Wall Street firms, hedge funds, health care providers, insurance companies and other financial service firms - using their state-of-the art Hudson Valley facility either as a primary operation or back-up facility. Two dozen employees provide 24/7 monitoring of the 70,000 square foot operation to insure high availability and security.

"The Hudson Valley is a superb location for business continuity centers," noted Mike Boccardi, Cervalis President and CEO. "It has excellent infrastructure, with the necessary redundancy and a separate power grid from New York City and northern New Jersey. It's a little farther away from the congestion of the tri-state area, but not too far, plus there are no security concerns of having to cross bridges and tunnels. It also has excellent access with all the highways and airports," he said.

"The human dimension has also been critical to our success," added Zack Margolis, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. "We have been able to find a solid core of highly skilled employees, who have been well-trained through local schools and universities."

Cervalis recently added new direct network connectivity from its Rapid Recovery Center in Dutchess to a major communications hub in downtown Manhattan. The service gives customers an affordable way to include rapid recovery in their business continuity strategy, allowing restoration of operations in minutes rather than days, according to Mr. Boccardi. "When quick recovery and operational continuity is vital for survival and a major competitive advantage, any prolonged disruption of service can have a serious impact on their business." Avoiding those disruptions with around-the-clock service is what Cervalis is all about.

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