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Contrary to popular belief, 40 percent of disasters have Distributed service models
nothing to do with weather, Teel noted. He has helped
large and small companies restore services following The decentralized architecture of mobile and blockchain
traffic accidents, burst pipes, power failures and other technologies makes them ideally suited for remote
business disruptions. Whether weather-related or man- regions that lack traditional infrastructure. Experts expect
made, disasters cause private business failures and hurt further advancements in the Internet of Things will
U.S. taxpayers, he said. enhance disaster relief as individual devices become more
intelligent and autonomous.
Cory Capoccia, President at Womply Inc., a software-as-a-
service provider, said disasters come in all forms and sizes. David A. Cohen, founder and CEO of Dcntral.ai and an
"In the physical world, there are weather events, burglary adviser at Hashgraph, said the machine economy will
and theft; in the digital world, negative online reviews can facilitate faster recovery times with new, intelligent,
be business-ending blows," he stated. "On a relative scale, decentralized electrical grids based on blockchain
one in 10 merchants will be burglarized; one in 20 will architecture. Cohen created GridAgents in 2003, a solution
experience a fire or water event and one in two will fall that enables the grid to fix itself, using independent
prey to cybercrime. Merchants have to decide where to software agents. Breaking the grid into smaller pieces
spend their resources to prevent business-ending blows." makes it more resilient, he noted. He described his new
project at Dcentral.ai as GridAgents 3.0.
In a survey of 2,261 small business owners in 50 states,
Womply found most respondents returned to normal Recalling a power failure in 2003 that knocked out power
levels one week after a hurricane. Capoccia attributed the in the Northeastern United States for 12 hours, Cohen
fast recovery to resilience, strong vendor relationships, said decentralized architecture would have enabled
business-continuity planning and cash reserves. "Most hospitals to separate from a disabled power grid and run
small and midsize merchants aren't sitting on a war themselves. "Blockchain is the secret sauce that makes
chest of cash, but they need cash reserves for business different nodes trust each other on the Internet," he said.
interruptions or periods of unemployment," he said. "One "A distributed system has no left or right or green or red.
in five merchants surveyed said they would survive a This may threaten centralized power authorities but when
month without revenue; three in four said they would last they realize what blockchain enables, in supply chain,
six months. Millions of small businesses are one disaster renewable energy systems and cybersecurity, and the
away from shutting down forever." economic benefits, they will implement it."
Redundant infrastructure Ben Goretsky, CEO at gateway provider USAePay,
recognized early on that payments is a technology business
Acquirers' revenue depends on merchants continuing to and made developing superior technology for USAePay
transact, Capoccia noted. Keeping them viable reduces gateway customers a priority. His company provides free
churn and the likelihood of their going out of business, and loaner mobile solutions during emergencies.
and ISOs and MLSs need to assess where they can add
value, how they can help merchants prevent risk and "Merchants who rely on phone lines and plug-in electricity
consider what tools they can use to stop threats before they for POS systems can use a communal laptop or log in
come into play, he added. He further suggested the most remotely to a browser via cell phone or connected device,"
effective continuity plans encompass available resources, he said. "Instead of relying on a piece of software on a
technologies and each merchant's unique requirements. local device, they can securely access our gateway from
any browser or Internet provider. We may provide satellite
"The digital side can help you rebound quickly," Capoccia phones in some extreme cases. As long as they have some
said. "Merchants with an ecommerce presence and digital form of mobility, merchants can process and review
storefront are less prone to physical threats. Having transactions and close their batches."
a digital footprint enables them to communicate with
customers when they are shut down. It's a connective Equipment replacement
tissue they can use to update hours, post announcements,
interact and build community." Helping merchants open their doors and serve customers
following a disaster is a crucial first step toward recovery,
Mobile office space and temporary relocation services said Frank Bisignano, Chairman and CEO at First Data
can likewise help brick-and-mortar merchants, Teel said. Corp., in a Sept. 2, 2017, statement. First Data provided
Requirements are assessed at times of interruption to a toll-free hotline, resources and free Clover Go mobile
determine the best approach. Merchants, employees and readers to business owners affected by Hurricane Harvey.
customers may utilize site location and transportation
services or less formal arrangements. "Shared branching," The company set up a temporary service center at a
popular with banks, is a way for companies to share Houston area JW Marriott, where new merchants could
infrastructure with adjacent business owners, competitors receive free installation and discounted devices. "Whether
and colleagues. a business needs to replace a payment device damaged

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