Unfortunately, without staff willing to research, develop and document a good business continuity plan, the only way to know how to prepare is by one's own failures (Join the business continuity debate).

The problem resides in a delicate time-balancing act between solving real-time issues and preparing for what is yet to come. This, along with staff who may be experienced but too comfortable, can be disastrous in a dynamic environment. The pond ripple analogy does not compare with a hurricane causing a roof to leak water into your so-called "impermeable" datacentre - yes, this happened to us.

The extra money to bring in a set of trained eyes is well worth it. Not only does it free up your own resources to assess present damage, but it will also clear the palette of your desensitised IT mouth.
The key is redundancy and clarity. With chaos in the IT field, it helps to have someone who can smooth out the edges and prevent a catastrophe before it begins.

Mat Barry