Ongoing concerns
Company seeks to help credit unions with disaster backup
By Tony Kindelspire
Longmont Times-Call

LONGMONT — Inspiration can come from many sources. The idea for a company new to Longmont was inspired by the anthrax attacks in Washington, D.C., shortly after the terrorist attacks in 2001.
Now, Ongoing Operations has brought that idea to the Creekside Business Park in Longmont. The Maryland-based company has opened a disaster recovery data center here that will serve credit unions throughout the Western United States, not just with data backup but with physical space.

Along with data-storage equipment, the location features office space where credit union employees can be relocated temporarily to maintain their company’s operations if a disaster prevents them from using their own facility.

“Within about 10 minutes, they can sit down and be fully functional,” said Kirk Drake, Ongoing Operations’ CEO.

Drake explained that the idea for the company came out of the anthrax attack on the Hart Senate Office Building.

In Washington, many federal agencies have their own in-house credit unions. When anthrax was discovered in the Senate building, the credit union there was deemed non-essential and shut down for nine months, Drake said.

He and technology officers at other credit unions — he was working as a chief technology officer at the time — got together and realized they needed a way to keep credit unions running even after a disaster. Three years ago, several credit unions founded Ongoing Operations; now, 17 credit unions have a stake in the company.

The 9,000-square-foot Longmont facility, which will employ three to five people, will serve as the 24-hour backup hub for its clients in the Western United States, Drake said.

A smaller data center is online in Portland, although it doesn’t have constant backup capability as the Longmont site does. The original location in Hagers-town, Md., continues to serve everything east of the Mississippi.

The company has several temporary office locations spread out around the country.
Denver-based Bellco Credit Union is one of about 100 of Ongoing Operations’ clients, Drake said.
“They’re our first (locally), and we’re actively selling into about 10 others in Colorado right now,” Drake said.

A ribbon cutting was held with local dignitaries Tuesday morning to introduce the company to the community.

Juri Valdov, the chairman of Ongoing’s board, said Longmont was chosen for several reasons. It was far enough away from Denver so that if a disaster struck there, the Longmont location would likely be less affected. Yet Longmont is only 45 minutes by car from Denver.

Valdov also cited the available space at the Creekside Business Park, where the company has room to expand, and the cost and reliability of electricity in Longmont. American Honda Motor Co. also considered the latter in deciding to build a $25 million, 61,000-square-foot backup data center on Clover Basin Drive.

Already, Ongoing’s new Longmont site is at about 80 percent of capacity, Drake said.