NDSU Enterprise Computing and Infrastructure has created an emergency Web site from a remote location in the event that Internet connections are lost because of the Red River flood. NDSU’s emergency Web site is emergency.ndsu.edu.
Marc Wallman, assistant vice president for the Division of Information Technology, said the Enterprise Computing and Infrastructure staff members have made arrangements with Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association in Alexandria, Minn., to house two NDSU servers at its data center in case of such an emergency.
"If, due to the flood, we were to lose Internet connectivity, we have an alternate Web site in place to publish information for our NDSU community," Wallman explained.
According to Wallman, a recent problem with fiber optic cable on a bridge east of Bismarck, N.D., demonstrates the need to be prepared. "The cable was damaged in flooding, possibly by ice hitting the conduit carrying the cable across the bridge. Fortunately, the cable was not yet transporting production data. The same thing could happen here in the Fargo-Moorhead area. If there was a dike or levee break, our Internet providers might have trouble providing us service,” he said. "Having a Web site at a different location, completely independent of our NDSU infrastructure, allows us to have a Web presence if that were to happen.”
The emergency site will include announcements, news stories and critical information. "We want to get information posted in a timely manner," said Najla Ghazi Amundson, media relations director. "We will include material about what NDSU faculty, staff and students need to protect themselves, what is expected of them and where they can turn for more information."