• Job: Senior analyst, global disaster recovery, Equifax

KARL W. RITZLER/Special (ENLARGE)

Michael Judge's job at Equifax is to ensure that, no matter what sort of disaster occurs, the company's data and systems will be safe, and businesses that rely on information from Equifax will be able to continue their operations. Much of that work involves anticipating possible disasters and planning and testing reactions to them.

• What I do: Not all the people involved in disaster recovery are firefighters or American Red Cross personnel.

Michael Judge makes sure that computer systems, the data they hold and the ability to do business can be restored quickly after a disaster, such as a hurricane, fire or worse. He safeguards Equifax's data and systems in the United States and Canada.

The company's many clients rely upon Equifax's systems and data to do their own business. A bank far removed from a disaster site, for example, would have difficulty processing a mortgage application if credit data were not available from Equifax.

The key, said Judge, 51, is planning, provisioning and testing for possible disasters.

"Does it really matter if it's a hurricane, flood, fire or power outage?" he asked. "If you've done your job right, you just implement your plan. You don't make up a plan when the disaster hits. Everyone knows what to do, because we've tested it."

Planning for disasters involves risk analysis. "You don't know what the disaster will be," he said. "You determine what is most likely, but don't limit your plans to just that."

He pointed to the recent wildfires in Southern California. Planners who anticipated only earthquakes might not have been prepared.

Provisioning means making arrangements for hardware, other supplies and a place to put them. Judge said "hot" sites have all the necessary equipment ready to go as soon as computer backup tapes arrive. They are the most expensive to operate.

A "cold" site may be a building where an operation can be set up, to which computer equipment can be delivered on short notice. While less expensive to maintain, they take longer to get up and running.

Finally, the plans have to be tested, he said. "If you don't test a plan, it's worthless."

That testing has to work with the customers, too. "We have to make sure we're not [operating] in a vacuum," he said.

Judge says he wears the hats of a businessperson and an information technology professional. He said planning has to make business sense. If the data being protected aren't worth the cost, it's time to make changes. Plans also have to meet Equifax's and the clients' needs and protect critical functions.

As an IT pro, Judge has to understand how computer networks work and be comfortable talking with IT people.

Even a small disaster, he said, can have widespread consequences on credit markets, legal requirements to have certain data available, the stock prices of Equifax and its clients, and the company's prestige as a reliable supplier of data.

For competitive business reasons, he wouldn't disclose any disaster he has dealt with.

A disaster-recovery system is like insurance, Judge said. You may never need it, but, when you do, it's invaluable.

• What got me interested in this: Judge was a business analyst with Cox Enterprises, which owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Sept. 11, 2001. When Cox looked at its disaster-recovery operations in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Judge was involved, and "I fell in love with it."

He said his career has been a progression from sales to information technology to business processes to disaster recovery.

• Best part of my job: "It's always something different," Judge said. With different situations, he said he learns different processes.

"Technology is always changing," he noted.

• Most challenging part: "Like insurance, it's sometimes tough to get funding and attention when things are going well," he said.

• What people don't know about my job: The importance of recovery "is not just to get that mainframe [computer] or application up, but to get those key business processes that depend on that mainframe or application up."

• What keeps me going: "My mortgage," Judge joked.

More seriously, he said, "I enjoy this job."

He is starting a users group of disaster-recovery professionals in several businesses to keep up to date and to share information about the LDRPS (Living Disaster Recovery Planning System) software applications from Strohl Systems Group that they all use.

• Preparation needed for this job: An analyst in disaster recovery needs attention to detail and the ability to talk with IT people. "Sometimes, it's almost like being a translator" between IT and businesspeople, Judge said.

Experts should be certified by DRI International, formerly the Disaster Recovery Institute, which requires applicants to pass a test, submit papers, prove experience and provide references.

Judge said it's also helpful to have experience in business and technology. He has a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Houston and technology certificates in computer programs from Atlanta Technical College and DeKalb Technical College.

He has been at Equifax for more than two years.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.