To the public, the collapse of the Northeast power grid last August was a surprise. But to those in the know, the blackout had been 30 years in the making. For more than a decade, specialists in mission-critical facilities had been preaching the importance of training personnel and testing backup systems under long-term blackout conditions.

"Aug. 14 had a major impact in our world," says Peter Gross, chief executive officer of EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc. "One thing we learned is that the power grid is fundamentally vulnerable, considering the kind of power the digital economy needs. It was another validation of what we all knew, but was painful to go through."

The vast majority of backup systems performed well because the systems were well designed and the facilities adequately prepared. But those that weren't as prepared suffered the consequences.