What would you do if a hurricane swept through your town, disrupting electricity, mobile communications and roadways — and flooding your home? That's what happened to Alphonzo Albright, global director of government at the videoconferencing provider, Polycom, when superstorm Sandy hit the Greater New York area in the fall of 2012. Albright was formerly CIO of the Office of Information Technology in New York City and was charged with working with city officials during the crisis. In this interview with The Enterprisers Project, he shares some lessons learned.
The Enterprisers Project (TEP): What were some of the biggest challenges of Sandy?
Albright: We were fortunate to know days in advance that Sandy was coming, and those who lived in its path, including my family and I, had time to prepare for it. But no matter how prepared you are, challenges will still come in the aftermath.
I was scheduled to fly to Mexico City for a conference. I purchased supplies for my family before I left so they could have everything they needed. With a background in law enforcement, emergency response, and as the former Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Administration for the Greater New York City Area, I was well aware of the importance of disaster preparedness.
On Oct. 28, 2012, the sky was beautiful and clear. You wouldn't believe a storm was on the way. I boarded my flight and was soon touching down in Mexico City. That's when I got the first call from my family informing me that it was starting to rain really hard and water was rushing down the street. In a matter of seconds, the house started to flood.
Then we lost communication — for five days. But relief and the road to recovery came to me and my family long before many others because of videoconferencing. I will never forget hearing from my 90-year-old dad as well. We used our mobile phones to communicate. It was a tremendous relief.
The only thing anyone cares about in the first minutes following a crisis is safety. Immediately after, the ability to connect becomes a top priority. This is true on both a personal and a professional level, as families as well as companies of all sizes begin the process of putting their lives and businesses back together.
TEP: Once Sandy hit, I understand you were on Long Beach dealing with your flooded house. Did you have to work remotely? How did you make that work with limited communications and (I'm assuming) no electricity?
Albright: Indeed. In the aftermath, residents and businesses were out of power, and I was out of the office for 17 days. I spent that time working out of my car and driving near still-functioning cell towers to connect to the Internet through my cellphone. This way, I was still able to conduct videoconferencing meetings with co-workers through my mobile device, and stay productive despite the monumental obstacles Mother Nature was throwing at me.
It was bone cold and people were suffering, and that doesn't even scratch the surface of how bad it was. My love of supporting my community brought me to the local ice skating rink where we immediately started taking in food and clothing. During that time, my day job didn't stop either. My desk was my dashboard, my conference table was the passenger seat, and my file cabinet was my trunk.
While I recognize that Sandy was a once-in-a-generation storm, the experience underscores how detrimental a storm like that can be to regular business operations. And it illustrates why businesses must be prepared ahead of time.
TEP: What were your top priorities during the first days after the storm?
Albright: My first obligation was making sure my family was safe, having gotten a positive response regarding their safety and well-being. I then reached out to several of my solution team colleagues. My thinking was they'd be terribly concerned after hearing about the areas impacted. I wanted to relieve some of their stress so I made sure I attended our next team call over video assuring them that I was in physically good shape.
TEP: What advice would you pass along to other CIOs or tech leaders about disaster preparedness and recovery?
Albright: Instead of thinking of it as preparedness and recovery, it's better for businesses to think of it as business continuity. Because businesses must be prepared ahead of time.
Have a Business Continuity Plan. This plan should include how to contact other families, employees, co-workers, and partners in case the office or home is not accessible. Give instructions to charge as many mobile devices as they can safely carry with them if they need to relocate. Distribute cell numbers as well as home numbers and ask an out of area contact to be available to receive information from your employees in case of an emergency. Remember, during severe storms, cell phones may also not be operational, so there may be times when communication is not possible.
Print lists of customer's and partner's contact info. You may need to contact customers or partners before power is restored to your office. If you cannot access your PC, Tablet, smartphone etc., or the system is lost, it may be vital that you have a hard copy of contact information.
Consider that disruptions can happen at any time — when people are in the office, children are at school, or a loved one is having a medical appointment. From the pre-Thanksgiving winter weather in Buffalo and New York City, to blackouts, earthquakes, transit strikes — even something as terrifying as 9/11 — business is fragile. And businesses that do not adequately prepare themselves with continuity strategies are going to be left searching, and paying handsomely, for answers.
TEP: Are there some things tech leaders should make sure not to do?
Albright: One of the biggest mistakes a tech leader can make is to put the development of a business continuity plan on their "to do" list and then fail to get it done. He/she who shuffles must deal — anything can happen at any time, and when you are cleaning up the clutter left behind when something unfortunate occurs, you still may not fully realize the potential long-term effects that losing productivity can have on any business, big or small.
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Alphonzo Albright is Global Director Government at Polycom. He was formerly CIO of the Office of IT in New York City. He has had 24 years of public service, with experience managing several major weather crises, including Hurricane Sandy.
