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Hitching Posts for Mobile Recovery Site Connectivity
by Jim LaRue, MBCP, CISSP
A number of businesses are contracting for mobile recovery sites to be used as alternate workplace and processing floor space in the event of a disaster. Imagine a trailer pulling up beside one of your business
sites with the floor space and processors inside for a small group of critical employees to conduct their critical business processes. For many businesses this is a viable strategy, especially for those
businesses that have more than one location in a geographic area without shared risks. Communication networks and available electrical power at the remote site may be used to support the most critical aspects of a
company’s business after damage or other incident makes their primary site uninhabitable. One critical component of this strategy must be in place for this connection to the site power and communication
infrastructure. A “Hitching Post”, as it is called, is simply a pre-engineered customer owned connection point that provides connectivity to the specific power and communication services required when
using a mobile trailer warm or cold site strategy.
It is imperative that this hitching post for infrastructure connectivity be constructed in advance. It would take an excessive amount of time and expense to make such connection modifications at the time of a
disaster.
A hitching post is constructed after a formal or informal agreement is made to utilize space near a company facility. For example, lets say that a company has two buildings located 30 miles apart from
each other. The executives have accepted their Certified Business Continuity Professional’s strategy for using a contracted portable shell site at either building to assist in the recovery of their “sister
site” when hit by disaster. Each building has identified a reasonable space in their respective parking lots adjacent to the building for this trailer to be parked when required. Simply identifying the location of
these trailers is not enough, since the contracted trailer provider’s responsibility ends when the trailer is disconnected from truck that pulled it to your building. A roll of 220 volt cable will be laid
upon the ground next to the trailer for the electrical connection to the building or generator. Some form of communication cable will be nearby. It is your responsibility to make the connections. This is
typically where these strategies fail upon execution.
How will the connections to the power system be made? Which telephone circuits will be used? Which Local Area Network circuits be used? Are there any special communication devices needed to accomplish
these connections? These tasks will require electricians and communications experts, as well as specialized hardware devices that may have long order times. Unless your Recovery Time Objective is in the scope
of weeks you cannot wait until the time of a disaster to put these connection points in place. This must be done ahead of time. These connection points are your building’s hitching post.
The identification of critical infrastructure and resources that your users will need and their proximity to the suitable location for the mobile shell trailers are very important to the design of your hitching
post. There may be distance or user’s limitation restricting a direct connection to your local area network. A load shedding plan may need to be established for connecting to your electrical distribution
point. The key is to understand what are the critical processes to be supported. From there you can identify the infrastructure needed for support. This is typically found through a “business impact
analysis.” By identifying the most critical processors, data, applications and communication required by your sister site’s critical business processes the hitching post electrical and communication may then be
designed. This business impact analysis process can be coordinated by your business continuity professional, through interviews or surveys to the various business units involved. Power, processing, LAN and WAN
connectivity requirements are then validated against the BIA analysis.
Appropriate power distribution and circuit identification will be required. Contact should be made with the contracted shell site service provider to understand what connectors or gauge of electrical wire
is supplied with the trailer. The appropriate lugs or plugs may then be placed onto the hitching post, ready for the connection. The process used to energize and de-energize the circuits should be
documented, as well as who is qualified to make such connections.
Data communication may take a variety of forms. Careful engineering of these connections will be required so that the performance to those within the shell site as well as the rest of the staff in the
host facility are not degraded beyond acceptable levels. These connections may take the form of channel extension, bridging, use of a concentrator, routers, or a hybrid of equipment depending on the needs of
the company.
Telephone connectivity will likely be required as well. This too must be engineered depending upon the level of dedicated phone usage by those who will utilize the trailer. When in doubt err on the side
of too many phone lines compared to too few. They will be needed.
The location of the actual connection points may vary, depending on the security, location, and sophistication of the trades people who will make the connection. Some companies opt for some form of
“knock out” steel panel on the exterior wall, that is unbolted and opened. This leads to an interior utility room where connections are made. Separation of the communication lines from the power lines is
important to avoid interference unless fiber optic communication lines are being used.
Other companies prefer an external hitching post. These typically take the form of two or more steel panels mounted on posts on the outside of the facility. It is suggested that the electrical and
communication lines to this external hitching post be buried rather than strung overhead to protect them from damage. Additional protection should be provided against vehicles accidentally striking the hitching
post through the installation of guard rails or concrete filled steel tubes. Check local building and traffic codes for the best method of protecting this critical location.
The use of mobile trailers as alternate processing or business sites is a viable strategy for companies with multiple locations, as long as provisions are made for electrical and communication
connections. This connection point, called a hitching post, must be engineered and constructed ahead of time. By
- referencing the business impact analysis for the site that will use the mobile solution,
- working with the mobile solution vendor, and
- documenting the connection process,
the hosting facility can assure the company that the location for the trailer will be ready when needed.
Jim LaRue, MBCP
President and Senior Consultant
Dreamcatcher Disaster Resilience, LLC
© 2002 Dreamcatcher Disaster Resilience, LLC
Dreamcatcher Disaster Resilience, LLC is a Rochester Hills, Michigan based full-service contingency planning company. They provide disaster recovery planning, business continuity planning, HIPAA security
compliance, emergency management planning, training, and project management services. For additional information please feel free to call (248) 650-9900, or email to JLaRue@dreamcatcher-dr.com.
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