Team Scores with Data Handoff

When Hurricane Katrina bulldozed into the Gulf Coast in August 2005, its devastating repercussions were felt in many more places than Mississippi, Louisiana and the neighborhoods all across the country, where thousands of evacuees had to relocate.

Enterprise executives around the nation and the world winced at the destruction the storm brought to New Orleans and surrounding cities and towns and took it as a warning: A natural disaster like Katrina, an earthquake, a tsunami, a terrorist attack or other cataclysmic event could end a business in the twinkling of an eye if no workable backup plan is in place to keep the IT system running and the data safe and secure.

The National Football League's New Orleans Saints were a prime example. The teams home stadium, the Superdome, was severely damaged by the storm, with portions of the roof simply blown away.

Click here to read more about cyber-looters who capitalized on Hurricane Katrina.

The structure ended up serving as a temporary shelter to thousands of residents who lost their homes in the flooding that followed the storm. The Saints had to move their home games to Baton Rouge, La., and San Antonio, Texas, that season.

Fortunately, the team had its business data backed up and archived at its home office, which was not seriously damaged. But had the hurricane destroyed the offices and knocked out the IT system, the team might have suffered more costly losses.

Next Page: Ravens get a makeover.