Marine Terminals tests computer recovery plan

Marine Terminals tests computer recovery plan    Oakland-headquartered terminal operator Marine Terminals Corp. carried out a disaster recovery test of all of its computer systems in Southern California on Jan. 12.
   In its recent test, Marine Terminals simulated a crippling disaster of its Southern California data center, and all systems were switched over to the back-up site within 60 minutes.
   The terminal operator runs duplicated systems, in geographically separate data centers. Alternative communication routings are also maintained between the centers.
   Douglas Tilden, president of the company, said that computer systems must be available full time.
   “This need has been accentuated by the increasing complexity of terminal operations and the new security and cargo identification rules,” he said. “The days where you could simply go manual if your system failed are long gone.”
   Having a single server supporting a terminal is a “seriously flawed” business model, particularly in an area that is prone to earthquakes, the company said.