The South African head office for international jeanswear manufacturer Levi Strauss has implemented a business continuity plan in line with the company`s worldwide disaster recovery strategy.
In terms of the contract concluded with Business Recovery Services (BRS), Levi Strauss` information systems will be backed up at BRS`s Cape recovery centre in Bellville. BRS is the business continuity and disaster recovery company within the CCH group.
Levi Strauss runs a centralised information systems model in which its entire finishing, washing, distribution and administration systems are run on an HP9000 server using a locally developed software solution. "The system represents a single point of failure, which means that an outage for whatever reason would bring our business to a standstill," says Levi Strauss IT manager Yusuf Nacerodien. "BRS was chosen because of its acknowledged leadership in providing recovery for midrange systems, and because it has just built a state of the art facility in Cape Town. We therefore have the best possible recovery service right on our doorstep."
BRS will provide, at its premises, an HP9000 server onto which Levi Strauss`s data can be restored from backup tapes, and 12 workstations to accommodate the company`s most critical administrative, sales and IT staff.
Levi Strauss will have the capacity to run its business from BRS`s off-facility for up to two months.
BRS will also provide leased line links to Levi Strauss`s finishing operation in Epping and to its regional office in Brussels.
Levi Strauss globally employs 30 000 people in 32 production and finishing facilities and 29 customer centres. The operation in South Africa was established in 1994 when Levi Strauss committed to investment and job creation in South Africa. 250 people are employed at Levi Strauss`s head office in Cape Town, finishing facility in Epping, and sales office in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The company targets the 14 to 19 year old market For its jeanswear, and is the market leader in the premium segment. "This is a highly competitive market and if a customer is unable to place an order, they have choices to go elsewhere," says Nacerodien. "Our operation is identical to our overseas offices where downtime is regarded as a disaster, and a contingency plan must be in place if we are to adhere to international service standards."
"Corporate governance is so ingrained in international companies that business continuity is regarded as good housekeeping," says BRS MD Frederick Castleman. "Levi Strauss in South Africa is relatively new to business continuity, yet the company understands the potential impact of a system failure."
South African companies, says Castleman, in general do not give as high a priority to business continuity. "System failures have been known to cause severe damage to the business of companies - at times so severe that they have had to close their doors for long periods, resulting in financial losses. With global competition intensifying, and with international companies entering the South African market, it is time that companies recognise that system failures can result in permanent damage to their business."
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