Disaster Recovery Journal

SUMMIT, NJ - Hibernia Atlantic, a global and metro provider of diverse high bandwidth connectivity, announces today the expansion of its high performance, diverse network into Teledata, a leading, privately owned data center and hosting provider located in Manchester, UK. This network expansion offers Teledata’s clients immediate access to Hibernia’s high-speed connectivity and provides Hibernia connectivity to local and global networks colocated in Teledata’s facility.

Hibernia Atlantic’s 24,000-kilometer network provides simplified global reach to key cities throughout North America, UK, mainland Europe and Asia. Hibernia’s network features redundant self-healing rings within Europe that include Dublin, Manchester, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. With its new PoP at Teledata, Hibernia continues to increase its diverse routing options throughout the UK, as well as provide access to a growing marketplace in the Manchester area.

“This expansion introduces a new point of presence for Hibernia Atlantic in the Northwest region of the United Kingdom,” states Derek Bullock, Vice President of Global Infrastructure, of Hibernia Atlantic. “As a fast-growing region, our partnership with Teledata strengthens our coverage in supporting enterprises and service providers with robust options and quality support.  Teledata is also on-net with local and regional data centres, which is ideal for sustainable, high demand, high availability network operations.”

Operating a 70,000 square foot carrier neutral facility housing two state-of-the-art data centers, Teledata is continually growing the range of services offered to improve scope, reach and enhanced commercial opportunities for Teledata clients. With the addition of Hibernia Atlantic to its roster of clients, Teledata clients now have international access via Southport and as such, can now further service a global client base.

“Teledata is constantly expanding our range of services to further enhance opportunities and advantages for our clients,” states Patrick France, Data Centre Manager of Teledata.  “Partnering with Hibernia Atlantic at our Manchester facility ensures that we further deliver robust, resilient connectivity solutions, both locally and globally.”

To view Hibernia Atlantic’s network map or for more information, please visit www.hiberniaatlantic.com.

 

 

 

 

ISO has published an International Standard addressing business continuity management to contribute making organizations in both public and private sectors more resilient.

ISO 22301:2012, Societal security – Business continuity management systems – Requirements, will help organizations, regardless of their size, location or activity, to be better prepared and more confident to handle disruption of any type.

Incidents can disrupt an organization at any time and applying ISO 22301 will ensure that organizations can respond and continue its operations. Incidents take many forms ranging from large scale natural disasters and acts of terror to technology-related accidents and environmental incidents. However, most incidents are small but can have a significant impact and that makes business continuity management relevant at all times.

This has led to a global awareness that organizations in the public and private sectors must know how to prepare for and respond to unexpected and disruptive incidents.

ISO 22301 provides a framework to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and continually improve a business continuity management system (BCMS). It is expected to help organizations protect against, prepare for, respond to, and recover when disruptive incidents arise.

Dr. Stefan Tangen, Secretary of the ISO technical committee that developed the new standard, states:

“Organizations implementing ISO 22301 will be able to demonstrate to legislators, regulators, customers, prospective customers and other interested parties that they are adhering to good practice in BCM.

“It may also be used within an organization to measure itself against good practice, and by auditors wishing to report to management.”

ISO 22301 will assist organizations in the design of a BCMS that is appropriate to its needs and meets its stakeholders’ requirements. These needs are shaped by legal, regulatory, organizational and industry factors, the organization's products and services, its size and structure, its processes, and its stakeholders.

Dave Austin, the project leader responsible for writing ISO 22301, explains: “To work well, ISO 22301 will need organizations to have thoroughly understood its requirements. Rather than being simply about a project or developing ‘a plan’, BCM is an ongoing management process requiring competent people working with appropriate support and structures that will perform when needed.”

ISO 22301 is the first standard published which is aligned with the new ISO format for writing management systems standards. This will ease understanding and ensure consistency with other management systems, such as ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management).

ISO 22301 may be used for third-party certification as well as for self assessment. To help users get the best out of the standard, it includes short and concise requirements describing the central elements of BCM.

Given the role of business continuity in every sector, ISO 22301 has a huge worldwide potential. So far, numerous countries have started to adopt ISO 22301, including Singapore and United Kingdom to replace their existing national standards. There is already interest from business worldwide who wish apply good practice and obtain certification against this standard. This attests to its vast potential user base and expected benefits.

ISO 22301 is part of a series of standards developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 223, Societal security. For example, an additional document is under development called ISO 22313 which is expected to be published early next year. This companion standard contains guidance for implementing the ISO 22301.

ISO 22301:2012, Societal security – Business continuity management systems – Requirements, is available from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details). It may also be obtained directly from the ISO Central Secretariat, price 116 Swiss francs respectively through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing, Communication & Information department.

Leveraging the User-Friendly Keylight GRC Platform, New Product Makes Effortless and Customized Business Continuity Planning Possible

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 5, 2012 – LockPath, a provider of innovative governance, risk and compliance (GRC) applications, today announced the launch of Business Continuity Manager. The tool, part of Keylight 2.4, the latest version of the company’s ground-breaking GRC platform, enables organizations to manage business continuity in a simple and effective way, empowering them to create unified business continuity strategies that will greatly minimize a disaster’s operational impact.

From hurricanes to security breaches, companies of all sizes need to ensure their essential business functions remain available should disaster strike. Leveraging the flexibility of the Keylight platform, LockPath’s Business Continuity Manager lets businesses painlessly create custom business continuity plans to prepare for the worst, manage the associated risks and minimize potential losses. Unlike traditional GRC tools, Business Continuity Manager provides common forms for business continuity right out of the box and lets customers use any standard web browser to quickly match Keylight to the company’s distinct business continuity processes and needs.

“Our clients face a growing number of risks to their businesses and with profits and reputations at stake, they simply cannot afford to have a knee-jerk reaction,” said Chris Goodwin, CTO, LockPath. “With LockPath’s Business Continuity Manager, organizations can put a comprehensive and customized plan in place and should disaster occur, can effortlessly pull together disparate resources and get to work on a swift recovery.”

Key Business Continuity Manager features:

• Business Impact Analysis: Through detailed analysis, users can easily organize complex information, determine the impacts of a loss, and prioritize the recovery function of multiple business components.
• Business Continuity Plans: Users can leverage pre-built forms, workflows and notifications to quickly build a business continuity plan or create a fully customized plan down to individual fields, field types, field visibility and forms.
• Teams and Contacts: The tool enables the appointment of a team leader, identification of a team of essential personnel, and definition of critical vendors so if a disaster occurs, users can immediately locate them and make contact.
• Tabletop Exercises: To ensure a plan will be effective, Business Continuity Manager supports exercises to test a plan against a simulated situation and collect valuable information about its application.
• Assessments: Users can launch business continuity plan assessments or tabletop exercises and create reports to gather valuable insight about the plan and its execution.
• Workflow: Custom workflows allow a simplified review of plans and exercises by appropriate experts across the organization. Users can create a custom set of stages that the document will be routed through based on certain criteria.
• Document Management: Users can easily export business continuity plan content with all supporting documents (Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Visio files) into one comprehensive Adobe PDF document.
• Extensibility: Users can add lookup references to policies, controls and resources in other Keylight application records to enhance their organization’s ability to proactively prepare for and react to events.

Other enhancements in Keylight 2.4 include significant expansions to the Dynamic Content Framework (DCF) Tables such as:

• Detail View PDF Output: Users can now consolidate and export the content within a DCF table record to a PDF document from the Detail View, containing a customizable cover sheet and a table of contents.
• New Master/Detail Field: A new “master/detail” field type is now available that allows users to create a sub-record, referred to exclusively by the “parent” record within which the master/detail field is defined.
• New Matrix Field: A new “matrix” field type is also available that allows users to create multiple columns and rows to configure the field with the desired number of cells in the field’s matrix grid.

For more information on the Keylight platform or Business Continuity Manager, please download the datasheets or call 913-601-4800.

About LockPath

LockPath helps companies of all sizes address the increasingly complex issues of regulatory compliance and risk management. Its innovative software provides keen insight by correlating security information from multiple data sources with current regulations and policies to gauge risk. Easy to install and manage, the Keylight platform empowers people at every level in an organization to take control and make better business decisions. LockPath is headquartered in Kansas City. Please visit www.lockpath.com to learn more.

 

 

 

 

San Clemente, CA                                                                                                                                            June 1, 2012

 

Public Telephone has announced a name change that more accurately reflect the direction of the company.  Public Telephone, a Division of De Long Industries Group, Inc., has been in the communications industry since 1998 and in fact this month celebrates its 14^th anniversary. It was primarily a pay telephone service provider at its inception, thus the name, but during the past 8 years, the company has brought additional telecom services to its clients; providing superior service, and lower prices than the big carriers.

The company has continued to grow, year after year sales have increased even during the recession, and even with its original product line in decline, and we have continued to grow by adding new services.  Most of those services are based on terrific new technology that allows the customer to replace “old school” solutions with new technology and allowing them to do more with less.

The new name the company adopts today is Wavetech Industries, this name allows the company to move from the image of the old outdated image, and will allow our current customers and potential customers to think of them beyond, just a payphone company.

Currently the company has seen tremendous growth in the areas of:

Web Conferencing

Conferencing Calling

Over the Phone Language Interpretation

Video Remote Interpreting (immediate access to American Sign Language interpreters over video)

Voice Recovery Service (Disaster Recovery solution for inbound calls)

PRI in the Sky (turn your existing PBX into a satellite based phone system, again a great DR program)

The company has no plans to abandon the programs that got them their start and continue to be necessary, Payphone, Operator Services and Directory Assistance; as long as the customer needs them Wavetech will provide them.

The newest venture is the expansion of the satellite based programs, and includes Data Recovery, mobile applications for remote communications, and even satellite links for live TV broadcasts.  In partnership with LBI Sat, Wavetech Industries can provide a full line of satellite communications, including rental of equipment on an as needed basis.

“We are excited about the growth potential we have developed with our existing customer base and existing markets (healthcare and higher education), but these new products have created opportunities for us to expand our reach into markets that we preciously have not had access to.  The future of the company is exciting”

-          Scott De Long, CEO.

 

DENTON, Texas -- Fourteen hurricanes and six tropical storms since 1961, which resulted in federal disaster declarations, serve as reminders to Texans that now is the time to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.

The 2012 Hurricane Season begins on June 1, and while experts are predicting a slower season than in past years, most of the predictions still call for at least a normal amount of activity.  The 50 year average is a little over 11 named storms, six of those becoming hurricanes and two becoming major ones – Category 3 or higher.

In the last 50 years, Texas has had 20 storms that resulted in federal declarations.  Fourteen were hurricanes and six were tropical storms. The hurricanes were Carla (1961), Cindy (1963), Beulah (1967), Celia (1970), Allen (1980), Alicia (1983), Gilbert (1988), Bret (1999), Claudette (2003), Katrina (2005 – Emergency), Rita (2005), Dolly (2008), Ike (2008) and Alex (2010).  The tropical storms were Danielle (1980), Allison (1989), Charley (1998), Frances (1998), Fay (2002) and Erin (2007).

Six of the hurricanes and two of the tropical storms occurred in the last decade and resulted in the Lone Star State receiving approximately $7.5 billion in federal disaster aid. That assistance fell under both the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) and Individuals and Households (IHP) programs and included funding for direct housing, crisis counseling, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment, and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans.

Hurricane Katrina in Texas was an emergency declaration and provided reimbursements to the state for housing Katrina evacuees.

There have been no hurricanes or tropical storms resulting in a FEMA disaster declaration in the past two years, but several storms have affected the state nonetheless. Tropical Storm Hermine in 2010 caused major inland flooding in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 stirred up winds that exacerbated a weekend wildfire in Bastrop County.

“These statistics more than demonstrate the need for all Texas to be prepared,” said Acting FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “We say it often, but it’s the best way to get a clear message out there – Get a Kit, Make a Plan and Stay Informed.

For more information on the upcoming hurricane season, please visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes and www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare.

Volunteering is one way to be prepared to help others. Use VolunteerMatch to locate local Red Cross volunteer opportunities in your community. You can also visit www.citizencorps.gov for ways to help and be prepared.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden joins leading medical/public health experts at the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 21st,  to call on all Americans to get vaccinated against influenza

Just two years ago, an influenza pandemic swept the globe, causing hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths in the United States alone, including the deaths of an estimated 1,280 children. Since then, we′ve made significant strides in immunizing Americans, and we′re now seeing positive shifts in the public′s understanding of the impact influenza can have. On September 21, leading public health and medical experts will gather in Washington, D.C. to discuss national readiness for the 2011–2012 influenza season – with the goal of continuing the upward trend in influenza vaccination rates.

Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director, will be among the experts on a panel being convened from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Other representatives from academia, government, health professional societies, and the public health field will include:

William Schaffner, MD, President, NFID; Professor and Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Richard Beigi, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
University of Pittsburgh; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association, Indian Health Service, National Hispanic Medical Association, and the National Medical Association, among other organizations will be represented and available for the Q&A session.

The toll that influenza will take each season may be unpredictable, but one constant is the need for everyone 6 months and older to get vaccinated annually in order to decrease the impact of this contagious disease. The panel will highlight expectations and the outlook for the upcoming 2011–2012 influenza season and address the following:

Manufacturer projections of an ample vaccine supply and a growing number of options for vaccination; including the intradermal vaccine that uses a much smaller needle and a high–dose vaccine for older Americans, as well as a nasal spray vaccine
Why more Americans are choosing to make influenza vaccination a health priority: final data on the number of people vaccinated last season
The growing number of vaccination locations, making it easier for everyone to get immunized
New influenza vaccination recommendations; other prevention and treatment measures, including proper use of influenza antiviral medications

Pneumococcal disease as a serious complication of influenza; about 73 million US adults who need this vaccine have not yet received it
Challenges for the next decade of protection

Achieving public health targets for vaccination rates, particularly among pregnant women and ethnic populations
Continuing to inform the public′s perceptions; more awareness about infection control, disease impact, safety, and a strong recommendation, could motivate more people to get vaccinated

Visual/Photo Opp: In calling on all Americans to get vaccinated, NFID will ask Dr. Frieden to lead by example and get vaccinated at the news conference.

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 21; 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

WHERE:The National Press Club, 14th and F Streets, NW, 13th Floor, First Amendment Lounge, Washington, DC

Live webcast and teleconference will be available

Teleconference: 800–954–0691
Webinar: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/NFID2011–NewsConference (pre–registration required)


CONTACT: Jennifer Bender, 212–886–2233, jbender@alembichealth.com

Pre–registration for attendance is preferred. Journalists must present media identification or a business card issued by a recognized news organization. Freelance journalists must present a letter of assignment on letterhead from a recognized news organization and a business card.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cleveland, OH – May 31, 2012 – Avalution Consulting – a business continuity industry leader in consulting and software – announced today the release of Catalyst, a groundbreaking new business continuity software product.

Catalyst is web-based business continuity software that combines a simple user interface and on-screen guides with Avalution’s industry-leading methodology to make continuity planning easy and repeatable for every organization, regardless of size. Features include Policy & Procedure development, Business Impact Analysis, Recovery Strategy Definition, Plan Development (Business and IT), Exercising, and General Program Management.

Catalyst brings three key capabilities never before seen in a business continuity software package:

1. A focus on small and medium organizations that need a plan but don’t know where to start.  Catalyst is opinionated software; it will help organizations perform an impact analysis, document plans, and then keep them up to date.
2. A business model that allows users to immediately try the product free for 30 days without entering payment information.
3. The most cutting-edge web technology available to deliver a high performance, attractive and simple experience to users – regardless of business continuity experience.

According to Rob Giffin, Director of Technology at Avalution, the impetus for this product was Avalution’s experiences with customers:  “We’ve heard too many organizations say that they want to perform business continuity planning, but they just aren’t sure where to start.  They are confused by 80 page Microsoft Word templates and can’t afford expensive software or consulting services.  Today, we have a solution that will help them accomplish their goals in a time and cost-effective manner.”

Why Catalyst?

1. Easy set-up, minimal training, customized plans, no contracts, hosted and secure (so nothing extra to buy or install on your end). These are just a few ways Catalyst will make your life easier and have you up and running in no time. Learn more >>
2. On-screen guides, role-based security, automated workflows, heavily integrated data, and easy plan editing are just a few ways Catalyst will drive efficiency into your program and reduce administrative burden. Learn more >>
3. Catalyst is the most cost-effective software on the market today. Even better, no long-term contracts are required. Pay monthly, cancel anytime.
   View Details >>

Are you ready to test drive Catalyst? Register in under 60-seconds, start your free trial immediately (no credit card required), and then upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time. So, what are you waiting for?

>> Start your 30-day free trial today

About Avalution
Avalution Consulting, 2012 BC/DR Company of the Year (award by the Business Continuity Institute North America), is a U.S. based firm that specializes in business continuity, continuity of operations planning (COOP) and IT disaster recovery consulting, outsourcing and software solutions for organizations in both the public and private sectors. Avalution is a participant in the BSI Americas Associate Consultant (ACP) program, holds a contract on GSA Schedule 70, and in May 2011, officially achieved certification to the BS 25999-2 business continuity management standard.

In addition to Catalyst, Avalution also offers an enterprise level business continuity software solution based on the simplicity of Microsoft SharePoint 2010. The Planning Portal is web-based business continuity software that delivers highly customizable tools and processes to assist in managing and executing business continuity, continuity of operations (COOP) and IT disaster recovery programs. Solutions address analysis, planning, awareness generation, exercise planning, notification, live crisis/incident management and continuous improvement.

866.533.0575 | www.avalution.com | www.theplanningportal.com | @Avalution | LinkedIn

Media Contact
Courtney Bowers | 866.533.0575

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- As hurricane season officially begins June 1 and communities in the U.S. and neighboring countries prepare for the threat of storms, Direct Relief announced today the delivery of Hurricane Preparedness Packs to nine U.S. states and seven countries most likely to be affected during hurricane season.

Direct Relief's Hurricane Preparedness program is a million-dollar initiative whereby large quantities of medicines and supplies are pre-positioned at health centers, clinics and hospitals in at-risk areas to treat vulnerable people during emergencies.  The pre-positioning of these medical resources is a key component of Direct Relief's emergency relief efforts and ongoing assistance to partner clinics to facilitate a fast, efficient response when a disaster strikes.  

This year marks year six for the growing program - the only one of its kind- which has expanded support to cover 50 U.S. sites in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and South Carolina and 10 international partners in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.   

"Smart preparation is the best defense when a hurricane strikes. Community health clinics are a key component of an effective response and speedy recovery.  It is critical that clinics in areas most often hit by extreme weather are bolstered with additional supplies to utilize when the devastation first occurs," said Damon Taugher, Director of USA Programs at Direct Relief.

Health centers that have received the medical supplies in the past reported that they have been incorporated into local emergency preparedness efforts.

Jo Anne Powell, Special Projects Manager at Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in Ahoskie, N.C., said, "When Hurricane Irene was approaching with possibility of a direct hit, everyone was worried they would not be able to get the supplies they needed for days.  I repacked the first aid supplies from Direct Relief's hurricane prep kits and stationed them on the most outlying emergency vehicles. All who received the supplies were greatly appreciative."

The contents of the prep packs are versatile and can be used for acute care as well as to treat patients with chronic diseases should they become displaced by storms and lose access to their medications or medical care.  Each U.S.-bound pack contains enough medicines and supplies to treat 100 patients for three to five days after a hurricane hits.  The modules shipped internationally are much larger, containing enough supplies to treat 1,000 people for a month following a disaster.

Direct Relief tracks the latest storm activity and every partner receiving a hurricane pack using their interactive mapping technology. The map can be viewed here: https://maps.directrelief.org/USA/hpp/index.html

Direct Relief is able to supply the Hurricane Prep Packs with donations from pharmaceutical and medical corporations and through a long-standing relationship with FedEx to assist in shipping and logistics. The Prep Packs are provided free of charge to the healthcare facilities.

About Direct Relief International
Direct Relief International is a leading medical relief organization, active in all 50 states and in 70 countries. It works with more than 1,000 health clinics across the U.S. to assist in emergencies and an ongoing basis, providing them with free medications for people in need. The organization has been among the world's largest medical suppliers in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, has top charity ratings, including four-star and "top-notch" rating from Charity Navigator, and a 100% fundraising efficiency rating from Forbes magazine.   For more information visit www.DirectRelief.org

PITTSBURGH – Avere Systems today announced the results of a third-party survey that shows NAS Optimization as the top choice of solutions being considered by IT executives to meet the challenges to storage performance posed by virtualization.

In the first half of 2012, Gatepoint Research invited more than 1,000 selected executives to participate in the "Impact of Virtualization on Storage Performance Optimization Trends" Pulse Report survey. Seventy percent of responders were employed by companies with annual revenues of at least $1.5 billion, forty-five percent work at director level or above with 23 percent at the VP or CxO level and 41 percent manage more than 500 TBs of storage capacity.

The survey asked what solutions they were considering implementing into their company's virtualization strategy to help overcome the needs of high-performance applications on their storage networks.  NAS Optimization was at the top of the list of respondents' choices for meeting the storage challenges posed by virtualization (26 percent) with NAS controller upgrades also at 26 percent. The least popular options considered were read-only caching (5%) and short-stroking hard drives (3%).

More than half of respondents will achieve 50 percent server virtualization by 2014, with 35% of organizations expecting to have more than two-thirds of servers virtualized in the same time period. In regards to desktop virtualization or VDI plans, less than one-fifth of the organizations surveyed expect to have 50 percent or more of their desktops virtualized by 2014, reflecting a lower VDI penetration rate in comparison to server virtualization.

"As the adoption of virtualization technologies steadily climbs, there is an ever-increasing need to implement proven solutions to overcome the performance challenges virtualization can create," said Rebecca Thompson, VP of Marketing at Avere Systems.  "Our products have proven themselves in virtualized environments and are an ideal solution to handle the unique nature of virtualized workloads on storage, including random I/O patterns, write-centric traffic and frequent boot storms that can bring data access to a grinding halt. It's no wonder that executives polled in the Gatepoint Research survey indicated that NAS Optimization is their top choice to meet the storage challenges posed by virtualization.

Among the survey's other findings:
•    91 percent of responders use networks that are a mix of NAS and SAN
•    49 percent report that more than half of their NAS capacity is NFS

For full summary results, interested parties can visit the Resources page at http://averesystems.com/Resources.aspx.

Additional findings will be shared by Avere Systems and Gatepoint Research in a ‘not to miss’ webinar on June 14th at 1:00pm eastern.  More information and registration is available on the Avere website at
https://avereevents.webex.com/avereevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=668150463.