Island Is First Municipality in S.C. to Adopt Data Security Plan

If a hurricane strikes or other disaster hits South Carolina, the Isle of Palms has assured its computer data will be safe and easily recovered, officials say.

The barrier island is the first municipality in the state to use a new computer recovery plan in which city data will be stored at a secure site at least 60 miles away.

The data recovery program is available to all cities and towns in the state through a partnership with the Municipal Association of South Carolina and the North Carolina League of Municipalities.

The Isle of Palms is storing computer data including accounting, law enforcement, court records and some historical documents.

If there is a disaster, the information will be available in only hours, instead of days or weeks. “The sooner communication capabilities are restored after a disaster, the sooner the city can become self-sufficient,” said Mayor Michael Sottile.

Under the program, the data can be accessed by city employees through the Internet.

“Its a lesson learned when other local governments after Hurricane Katrina found themselves unable to render services quickly for constituents,” said Linda Lovvorn Tucker, city administrator for the Isle of Palms.

The joint project lowers the cost of storing data, allowing multiple municipalities to share servers so the cost to an individual government is between $100 and $300 a month.