Panasonic Responds To Tsunami DisasterPanasonic Responds To Tsunami Disaster

Getting the word out to partners and addressing supply chain issues.

There are many lessons that we are gleaning from the tsunami disaster in Japan. On Friday, Panasonic sent word out to their partners addressing their supply chain disruption. This may be a good time for those in enterprise to check with their suppliers and vendors to take a pulse of what to expect.

In the coming months I believe these lessons will prove invaluable in aiding folks to understand risks and understand backup systems and supporting mechanisms. Preparedness, responsiveness and communications are commingled with planning to avert disaster or to minimize the effects of a seemingly impossible situation. Of course it's hindsight, but it shouldn't be ignored because with subtle changes to our thinking we can improve our systems and minimize the impact or at least be in a better position to mitigate our outcomes.

Still, this disaster speaks volumes about risks. My buddy Sorell made a comment in his post, Many Small Outages vs. One Big Outage: What's Worse?--"Would you prefer to have a cold once a week, or to get the flu once a year?"

Each methodology--centralization vs. distributed have different risks and outcomes. So my question is: Which is better for you and your organization as it pertains to telecommunications solution--centralized or distributed or a hybrid? Why?