But for KontactIntelligence, and its parent company, KAMedData, last month's visit by Hurricane Ivan proved to our staff and clients alike what we knew all along - - that the data we rely on continued flowing without interruption.

Ivan's breadth and awesome force of 130+ mph winds and storm-surge walls of water caused widespread damage to the city and beach of Pensacola, Florida, washing out bridges and roads; knocking out electricity and water; demolishing hundreds of homes and sending thousands to homeless shelters.

If anyone thought our daily business operations were a casualty of the storm, they were wrong.  So, how did a company located on the waterfront not miss a beat after Ivan the Terrible?

Corporate offices housed in a building constructed with hurricane shutters, as well as solid design engineered for withstanding high category storms certainly helped. But, it was our internal electronic infrastructure that prevented any disruption in business.
 

Niels K. Andersen, president and CEO of KAMedData, credits decentralized structure and server storage for allowing the immediate days following the storm to be problem free.

"Our inventory was never at risk in that we're a web-based application with electronic data. Our system operates from servers in multiple locations including Texas, Virginia and Florida," says Andersen.

Unlike a retail business or public library where inventory is located on the premises, our electronic inventory was safely secure before, during and after the storm.

"We planned ahead long before anyone ever heard of a hurricane named Ivan" says Andersen, "and our philosophy of "multiple redundancy" paid off!"

What "multiple redundancy" means to clients and associates is that their data can always be accessed 24/7 from numerous servers that back each other up, if the need arises. So, even though Ivan took aim at our building, our system's software application was never in its path.

When Ivan came ashore late in the evening on September 15, staff had already found safe refuge following mandatory evacuation orders the preceding day. Thirty-six hours later, the second phase of our disaster plan went into effect.

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Heidi Romero, Lead Generation Specialist for the Physician Recruitment department of the Western Region of Banner Health System, received the "2004 Technology Visionary Award" presented by Niels Andersen, President & CEO of KontactIntelligence, a KAMedData Company.

This award was presented to Heidi at the 2004 Association of Staff Physician Recruiters 16th Annual Education Forum "as a visionary who constantly strives to evaluate and embrace new technology in the pursuit of recruiting excellence."

"It was an honor for us to present the coveted annual KontactIntelligence Visionary Award to Heidi," stated Neil Passey, Director of Business Development for KontactIntelligence.

What a difference a day makes
	A waterfront view of KAMedData office before Hurricane Ivan
	(below:) After Ivan's visit

Relocated staff from around the country, including Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida began setting up remote operations from their laptop computers and continued the flow of web updates, corporate communications and system maintenance. For users unaware of Ivan's wrath, it was business as usual.

And, for associates of KAMedData's staffing firm, VeritasHealthCare, business as usual meant receiving their scheduled paychecks the following week.  So with a little help from Veritas associates, who kindly faxed in timesheets, payroll specialist, Cathy Butrim, began the task of payroll for the nearly one hundred employees at military facilities across the Southeast.

According to Andersen, one of the proudest moments was making that payroll deadline three hours ahead of schedule.

"I know that some of our associates knew our business was hit by the storm and probably didn't expect to get their checks on time, but the can-do attitude our staff displayed was really magnificent," says Andersen.

With the system in remote operations mode, payroll met and company websites updated, clients could have asked the question, "Ivan who?"

In fact, those calling the office during those stormy days were greeted with a new message explaining the storm's power outage had sidelined our company's toll free number. Once again, a back-up plan allowed us to reroute callers to Andersen's cell phone and keep the communication lines wide open.

So what did we learn after Ivan? We learned how a contingency for disaster passed the test. We learned how Ivan's aftermath brought out the best in the city's people. And, we learned there are countless volunteers from all across America who are tirelessly working toward Pensacola's recovery.

We're grateful for their help, grateful for the minor damage caused to our building, and, grateful to our clients who have trusted us from the beginning that their data will always continue to flow. 

"Heidi has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and has strived to work with us to ensure the information entered into the application provides the optimal benefit to Banner Health," Passey continued. "She is surely a great asset to your organization and worthy of this esteemed award."

Kelley Hekowczyk, Regional Director of Physician Recruitment also attended the August event held at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado. Hekowczyk agrees with Passey's comments and adds, "As her manager, I'm excited to see Heidi receive this national award. Heidi continues to demonstrate exceptional professionalism and a dedicated sense of ownership when tackling a challenge. Heidi is one of Banner's Best!"

(article reprinted from INSIDE NCMC - The North Colorado Medical Center Newsletter)

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