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AT&T Study: For Baltimore- And Dc-Area Businesses, Business Continuity Planning A Serious Priority
AT&T Conducts its largest network disaster recovery exercise in Washington, D.C.
July 13, 2009
5 Min Read
WASHINGTON, July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The results of a study recently announced by AT&T* indicate that local businesses are preparing for unforeseen business disruptions, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks and cyber security threats, by taking proactive measures to protect their operations.
According to the survey of 101 Information Technology (IT) executives at companies with at least $25M in revenue in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas, business continuity planning is seen as a "priority" by three-fourths of local executives, with the majority (79 percent) indicating they currently have a plan in place. Approximately one-third indicate it has become a priority in recent years due to cyber security concerns, natural disasters and terrorist threats.
Key Findings of the 2009 AT&T Business Continuity Study in DC/Baltimore:
Businesses are increasingly focused on mobility. Six out of 10 companies (60 percent) now include wireless network capabilities as part of their continuity plans.
Businesses are concerned with the potential vulnerability of mobile networks, social networking and hacking. While there is an obvious, increased demand for wireless network capabilities, three out of four executives remain concerned about the vulnerability of mobile networks and devices. Additionally, 80 percent of executives feel an added pressure with the pervasive use of social networking and its potential impact on security. However, hacking still continues to be listed as the biggest security risk to companies, compared to other threats.
Disruptions from natural disasters have led businesses to take proactive actions. About one-third of the surveyed companies said they have experienced a natural or man-made disaster that affected IT operations. As part of a business continuity plan, the majority of executives (65 percent) indicated their companies now implement specific protective actions when the federal or state government issues an alert for an impending disaster.
While budgets may be decreasing, investment in new technologies continues. Despite the challenges of today's economy, the survey found the majority of companies (66 percent) are continuing to invest in new technologies in 2009, many of which support these efforts.
Continuity plans now include special arrangements for communicating with employees. In the event of disaster, the vast majority indicate that they have special arrangements for communicating with key executives (85 percent), e-mail or text messaging to reach employees outside of work (87 percent), and systems in place for employees to work from home or remote locations (76 percent).
"With the ongoing reliance on technology and always-evolving list of potential network threats, many local businesses not only recognize the importance of continuity planning but are taking action to ensure that their operations are never interrupted, even in the event of a major security breach or unexpected disaster," said Anthony Leggio, regional vice president, Global Enterprise Solutions, AT&T. "Businesses must remain vigilant about continuity planning and also have their plans tested and updated to help ensure they are fully prepared to restore key processes and operations at times when it is needed most."
AT&T conducts Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) exercises several times a year. On July 14-16, AT&T will conduct its largest exercise to date at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. These events are designed to test, refine and strengthen AT&T's business continuity and disaster recovery services in order to minimize network downtime.The NDR exercise in Washington, D.C., includes an extensive deployment of network recovery equipment. The AT&T NDR team will bring more than 35 self-contained equipment-trailers and wireless, satellite and hazmat vehicles that will participate in the exercise. The AT&T NDR program includes specially trained managers, engineers and technicians from across the United States, as well as a fleet of more than 300 self-contained equipment trailers and support vehicles that house the same equipment and components as an AT&T data-routing or voice-switching center.
AT&T offers a wide array of business continuity services, encompassing disaster planning, risk management, recovery preparedness and communications readiness. AT&T's suites of wireless applications and solutions, hosting and application services, and security and business continuity services help assess vulnerabilities, secure data and infrastructure, detect attacks, respond to suspicious activities, and provide for continuous operations. AT&T's Hosting and Application Services are comprehensive, providing enterprises with managed hosting, security and application management solutions to address risk mitigation, a full continuum of utility computing, cloud and storage solutions, high-availability network solutions. To support regional hosted, business continuity and disaster recovery solutions, AT&T utilizes Internet Data Centers (IDC) in Ashburn, Va., and Annapolis, Md., among the 38 IDCS offered throughout the world.
In addition, AT&T's wide variety of wireless solutions can be deployed on virtually any device, from any location for remote and immediate connectivity, including asset tracking, movement of people, resources or equipment in disaster evacuation or re-establishing enterprise processes at off-site locations.
For more information on the AT&T 2009 Business Continuity Study including the complete research results, visit www.att.com/businesscontinuity-news.
Study Methodology
The 2009 AT&T Business Continuity Study results are based on an online survey of 101 IT executives in the Washington, DC/Baltimore metropolitan area. The study was conducted by e-Rewards Market Research with companies having total revenues of more than $25 million in the Washington, DC/Baltimore designated market area. Interviews were conducted Feb. 9-12, 2009.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE(R) magazine's lists of the World's Most Admired Companies and America's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.
(C) 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.
Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.
Source: AT&T Inc.
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