Despite the preparedness, lessons were learned and companies are updating their disaster recovery plans. Communications was affected more than expected, and while social networking tools were a substitute for phone lines, they were also a place where rumors spread fast, Yamanaka said.

Many customers sent staff to their collocation providers' data centers to check on damage. They often got stranded due to transport failures, and blankets and food were in short supply. Service providers must find ways to communicate better with customers when disasters strike, he said.

Data centers are also trying to find ways to cope with long-term power shortages and the price hikes that result, and how to replenish their fuel supplies more quickly. Service providers may alter contracts so that customers shoulder some of the increased cost for raised energy prices.

JDCC is compiling a more detailed report on the quake and wants to share it with operators overseas, Yamanaka said.

The talk was particularly resonant for data center operators based in areas susceptible to natural disasters. David Smith, a principal with Ecom Engineering in Sacramento, California, said he found the talk "fascinating," and that he had expected data centers to be more affected by the earthquake.