Comments on: Is Your Event Technology Vendor Prepared for the Moment of Truth?

By: Pat Ahaesy

Pat Ahaesy — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:51:19 +0000

Sam,

An excellent post. Your points are well taken. We need to know that not just the technology vendor is capable and has prepared well with backup plans, but that the venue you select can accomodae the needs of a virtual or hybrid event. This means more, than just reading the website. We need to go beyond he glossy brochure to be sure that the venue is the right one.

By: samueljsmith

samueljsmith — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:35:34 +0000

Hi Dave – Thanks for these great additions. I agree with all of them – even the potential danger for web based (cloud) applications.

Load testing is a great suggestion. You don’t want to the system to choke when 2,000 people decided to submit a question to the speaker.

Thanks again for your comment.

– Sam

By: Dave Lutz

Dave Lutz — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:52:17 +0000

Sam, great practical post. Unfortunately, I can relate to this all too well from my previous life. Here’s a few other things to look for in a vendor that’s strong at recovery.

1) Ask how they do “load testing”. This is a simulation process that helps prepare for peak periods.

2) If you’re dealing with financial data, ensure that they have completed PCI Compliance and have the paperwork to prove it.

3) Ask for an Service Level Agreement (SLA) and 12 – 24 months of history.

Fortunately or unfortunately, more and more solutions are moving to the cloud and will primarily fail due to local connectivity. Now instead of technology providers, we’ll be more dependent on the facilities.

Dave Lutz – @velchain