Global IT Failure Could Cost More than Kobe Quake, FIRST Experts Warned

Kyoto, Japan (PRWEB) July 2, 2009

The collapse of a single computer system could trigger a catastrophe on the world information network more devastating in its economic consequences than the Kobe Earthquake, a senior executive of the West Japan Railway Company warned today at the 21st annual conference of FIRST, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams.

Mr Takayuki Sasaki, Vice Chairman and Representative Director of JR West, JP, was delivering the keynote speech to delegates at the Granvia Hotel, Kyoto.

Addressing the conference theme – “Aftermath: the Crafts and Lessons of Incident Recovery” – Mr Sasaki described how JR West restored its services following the earthquake in 1995, which inflicted 100-trillion Yen (US$ 1-trillion) of damage, and said: “During the post-quake period we have witnessed great progress in the IT industry. As a result, we now face a new challenge of globalization. When a computer system in a certain place fails because of a natural disaster or a virus, the damage may develop into a global issue and generate a bigger loss than that of the great Hanshin Awaji [Kobe] Earthquake.”

The exposure of information networks to catastrophe was highlighted in a speech to the conference by Peter Allor, program manager for cyber incident and vulnerability handling at IBM, who is a FIRST steering committee member and the Forum’s conference liaison.

Declaring that “we’re in a world of information warfare, and it’s time to start thinking differently about security,” he said: “Hackers are no longer blasting out far-reaching worms. They are quietly targeting government, financial and communications networks, as well as the backend networks that control our power, oil, gas, manufacturing, water and transportation systems.”

At a time when organisations were dispersing their operations locally, nationally and internationally, and linking them all together with IT networks, “the entire grid needs security enforcement at multiple points.”

He continued: “Your headquarters may be secure as a fort, but if somewhere out there you’ve got a remote location with a weak lock, and inside it a PC with a password taped to its side – and this happens – then the whole organisational network can be compromised, corrupted, held to ransom or destroyed.”

Just how attractive a target information networks are to cyber criminals and vandals – particularly when associated with high profile organisations or events – was demonstrated in a presentation by Yonglin Zhou, from the computer emergency response team coordination centre (CNCERT/CC) of the People’s Republic of China.

He reported on his and other IT security teams’ protection of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where 10,000 computers were deployed between 66 venues, many wirelessly connected.

The number of computers in China infected with Trojan viruses – which enable remote control by criminals without the owners’ knowledge – rose from 35,000 in April 2008 to 67,000 in May and to a peak of 160,000 in June.

“All the indications suggested that criminals were planning a major attack,” he said. Security counter measures brought the number infected down to 33,000 before the games started in August, and prevented any attacks at all from succeeding.

Takayuki Sasaki, who was Finance Director of JR West at the time of the Kobe earthquake and experienced the disaster first hand, described FIRST’s task as “the very important issue of large scale earthquake prevention in the global information and telecommunication network,” and praised members for their “remarkable endeavor and initiative.”

He told his audience that before the Kobe catastrophe struck “there was a kind of optimistic view in Japan. People were saying we would be okay if there was an earthquake. Later that optimism was proven to be groundless.”

In the event more than 6,000 people died as 250,000 houses and other buildings were destroyed, and 460,000 households were affected. Critical infrastructure was ruined, and damage knocked out 70 per cent of railway services, wrecking bridges, stations and rails. The cost to JR West alone was 100-billion Yen (US$ 1-billion).

But in a remarkable turnaround, 80 per cent of services were restored within a month, an achievement Mr Sasaki attributed to teamwork, team-spirit, and rapid decision-making, rapidly executed.

He said the crucial lessons learned, which could be applied before other disasters, were three: early risk detection and mitigation, identifying and reinforcing weak points, and preparing backup facilities – “proactive measures to secure an alternative control centre are indispensable.”

Special podcasts recorded by Mr Sasaki and other speakers at the FIRST conference, some in Japanese and English, can be heard at http://www.first.org/conference/2009/podcasts/

Nearly 400 delegates from 52 countries – the highest number ever – are attending this year’s FIRST conference. That includes 93 from Japan and 16 from the People’s Republic of China – the most to date from each country – as well as 66 from the USA, 18 from Germany and 17 from the United Kingdom.

Founded in 1990, FIRST consists of internet emergency response teams from more than 200 corporations, government bodies, universities and other institutions from the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It leads the world’s fight-back against cyber-crime, sabotage and terrorism, and promotes co-operation between response teams and law enforcement agencies.

Read more about the FIRST Kyoto Conference at

http://www.first.org/conference/2009/

Read more about FIRST at

http://www.first.org/ & http://www.first.org/about/

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More Disaster Recovery And Backup Services Press Releases

Global IT Failure Could Cost More than Kobe Quake, FIRST Experts Warned

DynaSis IT Services Prepares Businesses for Data Loss and More: Business Continuity Plans Increase Survivability after Disaster

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 30, 2009

DynaSis, a technology managed service provider, is now offering business continuity plans to help small to medium sized businesses prepare for emergencies such as natural disaster, network crashes, or theft of business data. Unlike enterprises, many smaller companies cannot afford optimal in-house strategies and solutions. These companies are consequently at an elevated risk of being put out of business due to any major loss of data. A business continuity plan goes beyond offsite data backup and recovery and gives businesses a strategy detailing actions that will be taken after a crisis so the business can remain as functional as possible.

A key component of a business continuity plan is of course making sure critical documents and data are digitized or copied and stored off site, but the plan encompasses much more. Aspects businesses may not have considered include doing visual walkthroughs of facilities at least once a year to look for deficiencies, as well as making sure the business has sufficient business interruption insurance to cover the cost of operations for at least 60 days with no income. Other areas of concern consist of communications with employees in the event of phone system or Internet outages and creating a plan in case key employees can’t perform their duties or quit suddenly. Maintaining a list of emergency vendors as well as securing an alternative place to conduct business if the primary facility is unavailable are also details the plan would include.

DynaSis President David Moorman said, “Our goal is always to be a value added provider in the eyes of our clients. For this reason, we go beyond being just your IT repair guy. Protecting your data is half the battle, but when a crisis hits, you also have to think about what you are going to do to get back up to speed. What a business does in the first four hours after an emergency often determines how well they can bounce back.”

With 87% of companies that lose access to their corporate data for more than 7 days going out of business within a year and less than 5% of non-regulated businesses having a business continuity plan, and the need for business continuity planning services is real and the benefits to clients are immediate and long-term. Benefits realized after completing a business continuity/disaster recovery plan include competitive advantage, insurance savings, efficiency savings, improved processes, increased stockholder value and peace of mind.

About DynaSis

DynaSis is a managed IT services provider for small to medium sized businesses in Atlanta, GA, offering on-premise and on-demand SaaS monthly service plans, professional IT installation services, and managed hosting. For more information on DynaSis, visit http://www.dynasis.com .

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DynaSis IT Services Prepares Businesses for Data Loss and More: Business Continuity Plans Increase Survivability after Disaster

OB10-The Institute of Financial Operations Study Finds More Companies Expediting Collections through e-Invoicing and Early Pay Discounts

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 10, 2012

The third annual Accounts Receivable (AR) Survey from OB10 (http://www.ob10.com), the e-Invoicing network, and The Institute of Financial Operations, the globally recognized authority on best practices in financial operations, finds that more companies are accelerating their collections processes through e-Invoicing and are taking discounts for early payment. The survey gauges the views of accounts receivable and credit professionals in the areas of collections, invoicing, payment processes, and the economy.

The 147 participants included AR and credit professionals, CEOs, presidents, and CFOs from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in North America and the UK. The results indicate that e-Invoicing continues to grow as a reliable invoice submission method, as 29% of respondents use it versus 26% last year. This is also the first year that respondents use of e-Invoicing has surpassed that of EDI.

Regardless of the invoicing submission method used, 85% of respondents believe electronic invoicing expedites the collections process. Additionally, early pay discounts are growing as a cash-management option, with two-thirds indicating that they have accepted discount terms offered by their customers.

When asked about the results of their collections efforts, 50% were only somewhat satisfied, suggesting that there is an opportunity to find and implement an ideal solution or combination of solutions to improve collections. More respondents said that they were calling late-paying customers to chase payment. This method has increased in popularity over the last three years from 55% in 2010 to 61% in 2012.

While this years survey shows good growth for invoice automation, more can be done to streamline the procure-to-pay process, said Luke McKeever, CEO for OB10. Increased adoption will improve organizations satisfaction in their collection efforts and eliminate the need to call customers to chase late payments. We can then expect to see more organizations take advantage of early pay discounts.

This years AR survey shows how OB10 and The Institute of Financial Operations continue to have an acute understanding of what organizations find important in the procure-to-pay process, said Jo E. LaBorde, Executive Director of The Institute of Financial Operations. We are equipped to monitor trends and offer solutions designed to help improve their financial operations.

This years AR survey introduces the Invoice, Payment and Cash Flow (IPC) Barometer, which asks for respondents opinions on how effective they are in invoicing, customer payment efficiency, and cash-flow management and generates an overall score. Organizations will soon be able to gauge their own IPC Barometer result on the OB10 website and learn how to improve it.

To read the full 2012 OB10-Institute of Financial Operations Accounts Receivable Survey, download the white paper from the OB10 website or The Institute of Financial Operations website.

The white paper can also be accessed here:

OB10: http://bit.ly/OB10arsurvey

The Institute of Financial Operations: http://bit.ly/IFOSurvey

OB10-The Institute of Financial Operations Study Finds More Companies Expediting Collections through e-Invoicing and Early Pay Discounts

HULK DoS Tool More Hype than Threat - PLXsert Shares Simple Defense Strategies to Neutralize Attackers

Hollywood, Florida USA (PRWEB) June 01, 2012

Prolexic Technologies, the global leader in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection services, today released a threat advisory on the HTTP Unbearable Load King (HULK) denial of service (DoS) script. The script was developed by a network security researcher and shared publicly on his blog. Because of his role, the tool attracted widespread attention and generated panic throughout the digital security industry.

Though it was intended as an educational proof-of-concept, it exposed common weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors to bring down servers that have not been optimally configured for performance and DDoS resistance.

What makes HULK dangerous is the fact that a single malicious actor with a single computer could feasibly take down a small, unhardened web server in minutes. Weve tested the tool internally and it is functional, said Neal Quinn, chief operating officer at Prolexic.

Fortunately, this is not a very complex DoS tool, he added. We were quickly able to dissect its approach and stop it dead in its tracks. It is fairly simple to stop HULK attacks and neutralize this vulnerability with the proper configuration settings and rules.

HULK, released May 17, uses randomized header and parameter values to generate a threaded GET flood attack; the randomized requests make it more difficult to distinguish attack threads from legitimate traffic, particularly for automated mitigation solutions. HULK takes advantage of out-of-the-box web server configuration vulnerabilities and spawns 500 threads that collectively stream random GET requests at its website target upon launch, bypassing caching engines to exhaust server resources.

The Prolexic Security Engineering & Response Team (PLXsert) immediately instituted rules to defend against and mitigate HULK attacks and issued a detailed threat advisory to Prolexic customers last week. As a public service, full details of the HULK threat, including recommended mitigation techniques and SNORT rules, are available at http://www.prolexic.com/threatadvisories.

There is a lot at stake for businesses online – whether its a matter of money, reputation, regulatory compliance or business continuity. No one wants to be down for a second, let alone hours or days, Quinn noted. Consequently, any threat can cause panic. While many DDoS threats are very real and severe, in the case of HULK, panic is not necessary. PLXsert is happy to share our practical, effective mitigation method that can be implemented on any WAF or content switch, and transform the HULK back into Dr. Banner.

Prolexic Threat Advisories

Designed to provide early warnings of new or modified DDoS attack signatures and scripts, recently observed by PLXsert, each threat advisory contains a detailed description of the type of attack, a list of attack signatures, and the specific network infrastructure or application that it targets. In addition, Prolexics DDoS mitigation experts also offer insight into the nature of each type of attack, as well as provide specific warnings as to how the attack will affect businesses and enterprises of different sizes and infrastructures. PLXsert also provides threat remediation tips to help subscribers not only recognize the new attack signatures, but also proactively defend against them. The latest threat advisories, including HOIC and Dirt Jumper, are available to the public at http://www.prolexic.com/threatadvisories.

About the Prolexic Security Engineering & Response Team (PLXsert)

PLXsert monitors malicious cyber threats globally and analyzes DDoS attacks using proprietary techniques and equipment. Through data forensics and post attack analysis, PLXsert is able to build a global view of DDoS attacks, which is shared with customers. By identifying the sources and associated attributes of individual attacks, the PLXsert team helps organizations adopt best practices and make more informed, proactive decisions about DDoS threats.

Details of Prolexics mitigation activities and insights into the latest tactics, types, targets and origins of global DDoS attacks are provided in quarterly reports published by the company. A complimentary copy of Prolexic’s Q1 2012 Global DDoS Attack Report is available at http://www.prolexic.com/attackreports.

About Prolexic

Prolexic is the worlds largest, most trusted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation provider. Able to absorb the largest and most complex attacks ever launched, Prolexic restores mission-critical Internet-facing infrastructures for global enterprises and government agencies within minutes. Ten of the worlds largest banks and the leading companies in e-Commerce, SaaS, payment processing, travel/hospitality, gaming and other at-risk industries rely on Prolexic to protect their businesses. Founded in 2003 as the worlds first in-the-cloud DDoS mitigation platform, Prolexic is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida and has scrubbing centers located in the Americas, Europe and Asia. To learn more about how Prolexic can stop DDoS attacks and protect your business, please visit http://www.prolexic.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ or follow @Prolexic on Twitter.

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Contact:

Michael E. Donner

HULK DoS Tool More Hype than Threat - PLXsert Shares Simple Defense Strategies to Neutralize Attackers

BBH Solutions CEO: Environmental Benefits of Cloud Computing More Apparent Amid Business Owners" Concerns Over IT-Related Energy Costs

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 28, 2011

Bruce Hoernecke, President and CEO of BBH Solutions, Inc. says that more businesses are realizing the energy saving and environmental benefits of cloud computing. Mr. Hoernecke says that recent concerns over the volatile energy market and the costs associated with delivering power and cooling to on-premise data centers, coupled with environmental consciousness are leading the way to adoption of cloud technologies.

Cloud computing allows businesses to leverage the secure and powerful resources of a service provider to host their voice, data, and video applications and data storage. These technologies are then delivered to the customers end users on demand, or as-a-service. Cloud subscribers can access email, office productivity suites, CRM, and video conferencing from anywhere with a secure internet connection. Cloud computing solutions offer security, high availability, continuity of business, and predictable monthly costs for technology applications.

Business owners are concerned about the cost of maintaining on-premise data centers, says Mr. Hoernecke. They recognize that when they reduce their data center footprint by moving to the cloud, the requirements for additional dedicated electric circuits, cooling, and battery backup decrease as well. It just makes good financial sense, and theres the added bonus of reducing their corporate carbon footprints.

Recent studies and press coverage on the cloud have helped get the message out. Weve seen a growing trend in awareness among our customers of the environmental benefits of cloud computing and hosting.

A 2010 study by Accenture and WSP Environment and Energy(1) found that a 100 person company with applications deployed in the cloud can reduce energy consumption and emissions by more than 90 percent. The study estimates that if all US companies with 100 to 10,000 employees were using on-premise Microsoft Exchange servers and made the change to cloud-hosted Exchange, the resulting reduction in carbon emissions would be equivalent to that of taking 100,000 cars permanently off the road.

BBH Solutions launched its Cloud Integration Services program earlier this year, which is designed to help businesses transition from premise-based IT infrastructure to the cloud. The program offers hosted business applications such as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office, hosted Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and videoconferencing. Their staff will conduct a full technology needs assessment, write a project plan, and provide services for a seamless migration to The Cloud.

Cloud customers benefit from the economies of scale associated with their providers data center, says Mr. Hoernecke. Were capable of balancing server functionality and storage space precisely to the needs of the end users. Additionally, the power and cooling technologies are optimized for our Network Operations Center (NOC), which is dedicated solely for housing storage and server equipment.

About BBH Solutions, Inc. Manhattan-based BBH Solutions, Inc. provides technology services with a focus on the converged network and unified communications. BBH Solutions is certified by Microsoft as a Silver Server Platform Partner. They are an APC Gold Partner, and a member of the BlackBerry

BBH Solutions CEO: Environmental Benefits of Cloud Computing More Apparent Amid Business Owners" Concerns Over IT-Related Energy Costs

New Mobile Features for Cilio Partners Portal Allow for Better Speed and More Control Over Installed Sales

(PRWEB) July 17, 2012

Cilio Technologies, LLC, the leading specialist in automated order distribution and management of installed sales for the building materials industry, today announced new and sophisticated mobile features for the Cilio Partners Portal, a web-based platform for retail home improvement stores and manufacturers.

The Cilio Partners Portal is the first SaaS (software as a service) offering for home and building materials manufacturers and retailers that allows them to distribute and manage their orders for installed sales products (such as counter tops, cabinets, windows, doors, flooring and others) across complex vendor networks. The new features for the Cilio Partners Portal allow viewing and searching projects and orders, adding field notes, approving project line items and releasing orders for payment all from a mobile device.

According to Forrester Research, between 2008 and 2011 the percentage of daily mobile Internet users increased to 26 percent from 4 percent, far outpacing the growth of internet access from a desktop. At this pace, mobile was the next obvious phase for the Cilio Partners Portal, especially for an industry that requires most of its people to be off site and in the field.

The benefits are numerous, but the most important is the capacity for manufacturers, installers, fabricators and retail partners to better communicate throughout the installed sales process leading to faster and smoother project completion and improved margins on product sales and installation. For example, an installer can now template, schedule and monitor installations and product deliveries while at the job site from a mobile device.

The ability to arm mobile devices with the industry-leading features of the Cilio Partners Portal is an exciting and necessary benefit to our customers, stated Randy Olejnik, president of Cilio Technologies. Our customers spend much of their time in the field and away from a desk. It was critical for us to meet their mobile needs in the most advanced way possible. Now they can manage most of the installed sales project and order process from their handheld device.

Improved mobile features for the Cilio Partners Portal include:

Viewing orders and projects
Searching orders and projects
Viewing and adding order notes
Releasing orders for payment
Customizing the login page
Approving and denying project line items

For more information and to download Cilios free white paper Rethinking the Logistics of Order Distribution and Management. please visit http://www.ciliotech.com/category/library.

About Cilio

Cilio Technologies, LLC offers a secure, web-based platform to automate distribution and management of installed sales and associated purchase orders for retail home improvement stores and manufacturers. The Cilio Partners Portal brings together trading partners and orders in a single environment, enabling better communication and total visibility into each and every sales order from creation through completion. Companies gain insights that help reduce the time and cost of order distribution and management, manage trading partner networks, build new sales channels, and increase revenues. Customers include Lowes Companies, Cosentino Group, Sage Surfaces, Origin Point Brands, and LG Hausys America. Formed in 2001, Cilio Technologies is at the forefront of the software as a service (SaaS) revolution in the installed sales space. Learn more about Cilio Technologies at http://www.ciliotech.com.

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New Mobile Features for Cilio Partners Portal Allow for Better Speed and More Control Over Installed Sales

New Faster, More Reliable Storage For Backup & Data Recovery: Servosity Boosts Its Backup Solutions With Aberdeens AberSAN ZXP

Santa Fe Srpings, CA (PRWEB) December 24, 2011

We had some very tough challenges, says Damien Stevens, founder and CEO of Servosity (http://www.servosity.com). We needed 24/7/365 operations with no maintenance windows or unplanned downtime [and] unlimited growth capabilities, and we needed the speed of SAS drives and the sophistication of an Enterprise SANand we needed all that for far less the cost of an enterprise SAN or even SAS drives. We needed SAS performance and reliability on a SATA budget.

Choosing The Right Solution

Servosity knew it wanted to take advantage of Nexentas NexentaStor NAS/SAN software platform, but it also knew it would need the right hardware to run it. Thats why Servosity opted for two of Aberdeens AberSAN ZXP High Availability ZFS SAN units and one 45-bay JBOD in order to handle the NexentaStor XZFS file system with 144TB of licensing. Servosity chose Aberdeens AberSAN solution for its versatility as well as its ability to work well with the

NexentaStor platform.

The ZFS file system is stable, scalable, and fast, Stevens says. On top of that, Nexentas NexentaStor commercial offering adds additional features as well as enterprise support, and Aberdeen is one of the few vendors that can custom-build a hardware solution designed specifically for NexentaStor. Its the perfect marriage of hardware and software.

Aberdeens AberSAN ZXP product is designed to be highly scalable and has a variety of other customizable options. For instance, the base solution is a 2U head unit, but there are options for 3U and 4U JBOD expansions, as well. There are also multiple power supply, OS, and storage options so companies can build the right model for their needs. Its this customization that allowed Servosity to deploy these products and know they would perform as expected.

Implementation & Results

Stevens admits that Servosity had some unique needs from the start and that it would be difficult to match them, so he knew there would be challenges along the way. With some of these technologies, weve been a very early adopter, Stevens says. Because of this, Servosity went through an extensive testing phase to find the right balance of hardware and software to get the performance it needed. He says Servosity wouldnt have been able to create the perfect solution to its problem without the constant support of Aberdeen, which included the company sending evaluation units to Servosity and providing advice and expertise that aided the company in building the perfect solution for its needs.

With a sophisticated system spanning multiple data centers and huge amounts of storage, theres much more to it than buying a product, Stevens says. The difference for us has been Aberdeen and Nexenta working together with our engineers to custom-build and then custom-tune a system that meets our needs and has exceeded our expectations.

Once the entire system was installed, Servosity started seeing the benefits. Stevens says that traditional systems such as the one the company installed are often at risk for silent data corruption, which happens naturally over time with a constant flow of data. To prevent this, ZFS systems self-heal when a disk presents corrupt data, which protects against hardware failure and prevents the hardware from corrupting the data, according to Stevens. In addition to preventing data corruption, Servosity is pleased that the system can use solid-state drives to cache for SATA and SAS drives to make the system faster for a lower cost.

Using Aberdeens Products Now & In The Future

Overall, Servosity is extremely happy with its decision to invest in Aberdeens AberSAN solution and plans on using Aberdeens products in the future. In fact, Stevens says that Servositys projections show a need for 400% of our current infrastructure in the next 12 months. To help meet the demand, Servosity will continue to use Aberdeen for its highly customizable and scalable Nexenta products in order to help the company continue to grow.

The AberSAN is a highly customizable and versatile storage solution that incorporates Intel

New Faster, More Reliable Storage For Backup & Data Recovery: Servosity Boosts Its Backup Solutions With Aberdeens AberSAN ZXP

US Enterprises Becoming More Satisfied with Cloud Computing

Portland, OR (PRWEB) February 29, 2012

A new study from Cloud Industry Forum(CIF), sponsored by Rise, a premier provider of cloud computing and hosted IT services, reveals the extent of US cloud computing adoption and satisfaction, and depicts the changing business rationale for migrating to the cloud. The research will aid enterprises in evaluating current market readiness for cloud services in the US, and provides insight into primary drivers and key issues when considering cloud services as part of a wider IT strategy.

The research is based on a survey of 400 senior IT and business decision-makers in enterprises, small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and public sector organizations. It examines the extent of adoption in cloud services across the US by different organizational types and sizes; primary drivers; role of IT management and leadership; services being accessed; satisfaction levels; and common issues that impede adoption.

According to the findings, the US leads global adoption of cloud services with very high levels of formal adoption and satisfaction. As a result, most organizations currently using cloud services plan to expand use to other areas of IT operations over the next year.

Cloud computing is less about technology and more about challenging the fundamentals of how we manage IT operations, and therefore, business as a whole. This latest research from Cloud Industry Forum suggests that organization size will no longer be a determinant of rate of adoption marking a unique phenomenon in business IT where it is genuinely accessible to all, said Andy Burton, chairman of the Cloud Industry Forum and CEO of Rise. Cloud computing in the US is widespread, proven and will continue to propel business enablement and transformation.

The USA Cloud Adoptions & Trends 2012 whitepaper is available for download from the Rise website at http://us.rise.co/2012-cloud-predictions/register/.

Key findings from the report include:

US Enterprises Becoming More Satisfied with Cloud Computing

DATAPOINT Highlights Relationship with Regionally Based Expedient Communications as More Customers Demand Multi-city Managed Hosting Solutions

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) May 21, 2012

DataPoint, Baltimores leading provider of data center colocation, managed hosting services and network connectivity announced they are publicly acknowledging and strengthening their association with their regionally based sister company, Expedient Communications. The businesses are commonly owned, just as they have been for many years.

DataPoint will continue to offer the most reliable and comprehensive suite of managed IT solutions in the area and remains committed to providing local on-site support 24×7. All eight (8) of our data centers in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions are commonly owned and have been for many years. Together, they form a network of data centers that work seamlessly to provide high quality colocation, cloud computing and managed hosting services regardless of location. Our Parent Company acquired or built these businesses at different times which resulted in different brand names, but the majority of our markets go by the brand name Expedient. Our multi-market data center capabilities have become so important to our customers seeking geographic redundancy and disaster recovery alternatives, we have decided to highlight our existing capability and inter-connection with Expedient.

We have enjoyed great success being connected with the Expedient markets during the last seven years and we want to eliminate any confusion for our clients when working with our unified team. While our brands have different websites and email domains depending on the city, the quality of products and services offered is the same across all markets said Curtis DePass, DataPoints General Manager.

Throughout the second and third quarters of 2012, the company plans to more prominently convey the names of both brands in its various marketing materials, direct mail campaigns and in day to day business items such as; letterhead, business cards, signage and the web site. Our intent is to make sure our customers are informed, while at the same time, assuring them that DataPoints ownership is not changing and its operational team is business-as-always, added DePass.

About DataPoint

DataPoint located at 1050 Hull Street in Baltimore, Maryland, launched a new facility contiguous to their first data center at Under Armours Tide Point commercial office park on January 19, 2012. The new facility is part of Expedients multi-city network of data centers via connection to a fully redundant 10Gig fiber backbone, which facilitates integrated disaster recovery and backup solutions for the companys customers. Features of the new Data Center include an additional 6,000 square feet of raised floor space, dual power feeds, redundant 400 kVa Liebert UPS systems, 220 tons of cooling, two 800 KW Caterpillar diesel generators and of course, DataPoints standard 24×7 live local support. DataPoint also offers a wide range of managed services such as virtualization, cloud computing, remote backups, management of equipment, storage area networks and more. For additional information on DataPoint services, contact Curtis DePass at 410-209-6700 or visit http://www.datapointinc.com

About Expedient

Expedient is part of a network of eight nationwide data centers located in Pittsburgh (2), Cleveland (2), Columbus, Baltimore, Boston and Indianapolis, and offers a wide range of managed services such as virtualization, cloud computing, remote backups, management of equipment, storage area networks and more. These proven managed services combined with reliable and redundant SSAE-16 compliant data centers enables Expedient to deliver premier colocation, network and managed services to enterprise, commercial, education and government entities. For more information on Expedient please visit http://www.expedient.com

Related Disaster Recovery And Backup Services Press Releases

DATAPOINT Highlights Relationship with Regionally Based Expedient Communications as More Customers Demand Multi-city Managed Hosting Solutions

98% of Organizations Unable to Tolerate More Than One Day Without Access to Critical Data

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 26, 2012

BUMI (Backup My Info!), the premium provider of managed online backup and recovery solutions for small to mid-sized businesses, today announced the findings of its annual industry survey, which analyzed current approaches to data backup and recovery. The survey, which polled CEOs, business owners and IT professionals at small- to mid-sized firms, found that 98 percent of respondents felt that more than one day to restore data after an incident was unacceptable even though almost a quarter of respondents did not regularly check the restore process of their data backup operations.

98% of Organizations Unable to Tolerate More Than One Day Without Access to Critical Data

Attix5 Announces Microsoft MVP"s Have Joined Their Team Giving Stage2Data, Attix5"s North American Master Distributor More Leverage in Data Backup and Recovery Market

Oakville, Ontario (PRWEB) July 05, 2012

Stage2Data, the North American Master Distributor for information storage and restoration experts, Attix5 is proud to announce the involvement of well-known Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) Nicolas Blank and Hilton Giesenow with the Attix5 leading development team.

Mike Law, CEO of Attix5 comments, “Nicolas and Hilton have been instrumental in the ongoing development of Attix5′s backup service as they are helping us to create state-of-the-art Microsoft approved database backup solutions. The knowledge gained by working with two such highly respected industry heavyweights has given the Attix5 team a valuable insight, following this project we will be able to provide some of the most robust Microsoft recommended application backup solutions on the market.

Hilton Giesenow explains, “The work that we have been involved in, such as the ongoing development of a new SharePoint plug-in means that Attix5 customers will have one of the most comprehensive and modern server backup solutions available.”

Nicolas Blank says, “I chose to work with Attix5 because of their enthusiasm to create a truly universal backup and restoration model. Attix5 has one of the only back-up solutions that is absolutely focused on following Microsoft best practices to the letter. Operating systems and server software are constantly being updated and it is important that backup solutions can cope with the latest developments.”

Blank and Giesenow have developed Attix5′s capabilities to make the backup process more comprehensive, simpler and quicker using in depth knowledge and Microsoft insider expertise. Engaging with these professionals has enabled Attix5 to offer a solution that can reduce some previously time consuming backup processes to just seconds.

Blank specializes in Exchange and has over 15 years experience. Giesenow is a SharePoint consultant and his experience includes development, architecture, team leadership and project management.

The Master Distributor for Attix5 in North America is Stage2Data.

Company Stage2Data

Stage2Data is a privately held company founded by Jeff Collier and Jacques Swanepoel in 2008. The company is dedicated to working with Enterprise and SMB’s to safeguard their data against disaster or loss using cloud based, disk to disk technology. Stage2Data is the Master Distributor for Attix5 in North America and is a recognized leader in backup and recovery. Stage2Data is headquartered in Oakville, Ontario with offices in the USA. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.stage2data

Attix5:

Attix5 is an international provider of secure data management, storage and restoration, specialising in virtualization and cloud based solutions. Its world-class data protection software uses FIPS-compliant Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption for security to listed Enterprises and SMEs across the world. Attix5 is also a VMware Elite partner.

Attix5 is the SIMS partner for Capita Childrens Services in the UK and provides secure data back-up for 65% of UK Primary Schools.

Attix5 Announces Microsoft MVP"s Have Joined Their Team Giving Stage2Data, Attix5"s North American Master Distributor More Leverage in Data Backup and Recovery Market

Disaster Recovery Benefits Lead More Credit Unions to Select CUtopias OASys Core Data Processing System

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) September 07, 2012

CCC Van Wert Credit Union in Ohio and Concora Wabash Federal Credit Union in Indiana have selected the OASys core data processing system citing disaster recovery benefits as a key to their decisions. The product is offered by CUtopia; a division of Worldwide Interactive Services, LLC. Both credit unions previously used CuServ from Harland Financial Solutions.

The critical nature of disaster recovery has become an increasingly major focus of all sized credit unions in the past few years. Not only related to security breach and downtime issues, but also the impact natural disasters and unexpected events can inflict on operations. The OASys hosted solution will relieve us of the burden of disaster recovery and the feature/functionality of the system will automate many processes we currently perform manually,” stated CC Van Wert CEO Pam Ehman.

With data centers in Orlando and Atlanta, OASys attains full redundancy within high security data centers. This makes the OASys solution easily transportable allowing credit union clients to re-establish operations by simply accessing the internet. It also makes disaster coordination easier through the use of a single vendor for both staff-facing (core) and member facing (web, mobile and telephone banking) services in a fully hosted environment.

Minda Parish, CEO of the 276 member, $ 1.2 million Concora Wabash Federal Credit Union commented that, With the ever changing regulations and guidelines the government has placed on financial institutions, we felt that OASys offered the most compliant friendly program available. Our disaster recovery is already taken care of the day we go live allowing us to access and operate our system from any location. Credit union confidentiality will be easier with automatic name checks against the OFAC system. Were just beginning to discover other features that will help make our operations run smoother and we cant wait to get the system implemented, stated Ms. Parish.

The OASys core processing system is designed for credit unions that are limited by their current system, yet require a low cost of ownership. The cloud based/hosted system provides operational flexibility and delivers a highly functional, reliable and fully compliant solution that is configurable to the credit unions unique environment. Managers who still wrestle with manual functionality will welcome the automated features that include OFAC, end of day, credit bureau and call reporting as well as automated back-up. Credit unions that need to stay competitive dont need to settle for plain vanilla systems, says Chris Pantaleon, Director of Business Development at CUtopia. OASys adds a new level of automation plus 24/7 live support and customer service, training and support, unmatched in the industry.

About CUtopia Solutions: CUtopia, provides a comprehensive, suite of technology services to small to mid-sized credit unions. From core data processing and audio response, to mobile and online banking, to check imaging and eStatements, CUtopia helps credit unions to compete effectively while streamlining their processes with state-or-the-art technologies and user-friendly solutions, As a credit union technology service provider, CUtopias goal is to enrich each individual credit unions capabilities by offering proven solutions backed by a team of forward-thinking innovators with a spirit for service. CUtopia is a division of Worldwide Interactive Services, LLC, a respected banking and credit union technology company founded in 1995 that serves more than 300 credit unions and banks throughout the U.S. All CUtopia services are AICPA Service Organization Control Reports certified. http://www.cutopiasolutions.com 888-596-4947

Disaster Recovery Benefits Lead More Credit Unions to Select CUtopias OASys Core Data Processing System

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) December 18, 2012 With an objective to offer the most comprehensive research covering the market for Cloud and related opportunities, ReportsnReports.com offers research reports that address competitive analysis, market opportunities in various industry verticals, cloud applications and solutions, the future of the Cloud, and more. Key cloud impact areas covered include but not limited to: Cloud Solutions and Opportunities, Cloud and Commerce, Content, and Applications; Cloud and Broadband including 4G and Beyond; Cloud and Small and Medium Business (SMB); Cloud and Content Delivery Networks (CDN); Cloud Telephony and impact on Incumbents; Cloud Convergence with Social and Local; Cloud and Machine-to-Machine (M2M); Cloud and Next Generation Networks; Hardware, Software, Professional Services; Primary, Backup & Cloud Storage Solutions; Hybrid Mobile Cloud (HMC) Computing; Cloud Backend-as-a-service (BaaS)/ Mobile BaaS (MBaaS) and more. Emergence of innovative storage technologies such as inline data deduplication, inline compression, WAN optimization, cloud based security solutions and storage gateways are pushing the growth of the Cloud Storage Market. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are rapidly adopting cloud based storage services to reduce cost and IT complexity compared to large enterprises, thereby pushing the market growth. The small and medium business segments are the major adopter of cloud storage services and this trend is expected to continue for next few years. Hybrid Mobile Cloud (HMC) computing represents a system in which a local, native mobile application with a great user interface, is married with cloud computing to provide an intelligent and scalable solution that is better than either native mobile app alone or an HTML5-only cloud computing application. This research defines the roles of mobile and cloud computing in the enterprise today and provides a vision for how HMC computing will develop into a new paradigm that will become dominant within the next few years. Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications has brought the concept of connected devices to a whole new level, targeting virtual every sphere of human endeavor including government, defense, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, retail, smartgrid, extraction industries, and more. Analysis of Cloud Market: Solutions, Storage, Computing, Telephony, Apps and More in New Research Reports at ReportsnReports.com

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) December 18, 2012

With an objective to offer the most comprehensive research covering the market for Cloud and related opportunities, ReportsnReports.com offers research reports that address competitive analysis, market opportunities in various industry verticals, cloud applications and solutions, the future of the Cloud, and more.

Key cloud impact areas covered include but not limited to: Cloud Solutions and Opportunities, Cloud and Commerce, Content, and Applications; Cloud and Broadband including 4G and Beyond; Cloud and Small and Medium Business (SMB); Cloud and Content Delivery Networks (CDN); Cloud Telephony and impact on Incumbents; Cloud Convergence with Social and Local; Cloud and Machine-to-Machine (M2M); Cloud and Next Generation Networks; Hardware, Software, Professional Services; Primary, Backup & Cloud Storage Solutions; Hybrid Mobile Cloud (HMC) Computing; Cloud Backend-as-a-service (BaaS)/ Mobile BaaS (MBaaS) and more.

Emergence of innovative storage technologies such as inline data deduplication, inline compression, WAN optimization, cloud based security solutions and storage gateways are pushing the growth of the Cloud Storage Market. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are rapidly adopting cloud based storage services to reduce cost and IT complexity compared to large enterprises, thereby pushing the market growth. The small and medium business segments are the major adopter of cloud storage services and this trend is expected to continue for next few years.

Hybrid Mobile Cloud (HMC) computing represents a system in which a local, native mobile application with a great user interface, is married with cloud computing to provide an intelligent and scalable solution that is better than either native mobile app alone or an HTML5-only cloud computing application. This research defines the roles of mobile and cloud computing in the enterprise today and provides a vision for how HMC computing will develop into a new paradigm that will become dominant within the next few years.

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications has brought the concept of connected devices to a whole new level, targeting virtual every sphere of human endeavor including government, defense, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, retail, smartgrid, extraction industries, and more.

Analysis of Cloud Market: Solutions, Storage, Computing, Telephony, Apps and More in New Research Reports at ReportsnReports.com

New eMazzanti Article: Get More Hours in Your Day with Managed IT Services

Hoboken, NJ and New York City, NY (PRWEB) January 07, 2013

How many staff hours would a business reclaim by outsourcing computer network management and IT support? A new article from eMazzanti Technologies, an IT support and computer consultant in the Hoboken, NJ and NYC areas, spells out the savings of outside IT support. The article is entitled: How to Get More Hours in Your Day: Managed IT Services.

Many companies are surprised by the amount of money that can be saved by outsourcing IT support, notes Jennifer Mazzanti, president, eMazzanti Technologies. A simple survey can help quantify costs and assist management in making an informed decision while significantly reducing management involvement.

For a complete copy of the article, click here.

Cutting IT Equipment, Labor Costs and Management Time

Though a business may prefer an in-house IT department, the costs for doing so can be shocking. For example, the capital expense for a management system could easily be $ 50,000 to $ 250,000 just for the software and servers that provide continual monitoring, updates and backups.

In addition, the annual labor costs for IT expertise is of no small concern. For example, the starting salary, taxes and benefits for ONE network administrator are at least $ 75,000, not including the expenses to recruit, hire and move along with regularly funded new skills and certifications. The total could easily exceed $ 300,000 the first year.

One option to an in-house IT department is just using any outside IT source to fix things as they break, said Mazzanti. However, this break-fix approach leaves most businesses frustrated as its very hard for the external IT expert to really know and understand the business. They also may simply not be available when needed as they have other priorities and on-going clients.

Also, with a break-fix approach to IT, management will find themselves constantly drawn into putting out IT fires, continues Mazzanti. A well-thought-out external IT solution will nearly eliminate management involvement in IT emergencies.

One of the best IT support models Mazzanti Technologies has seen is to engage an IT expert on a fixed-cost basis, monitoring a businesses network 24×7 while solving problems before they become major network issues.

For a copy of the complete article, click here. Also, for additional information on 25 questions to ask before choosing an IT expert, click here.

About eMazzanti Technologies

With a company name that sounds more like a purebred, high-performance sports car than a IT support and consulting firm, eMazzanti Technologies is all about delivering powerful solutions in a variety of Outsourced IT services, such as cloud computing, managed printing services, PCI DSS compliance, computer network management, network troubleshooting, business continuity and disaster recovery, green computing, mobile workforce technology, information security, cloud computing, cloud computing services, and business information optimization in the most efficient manner possible. The Hoboken, N.J., firm is located in one of the most densely populated – and competitive – regions in the U.S. It provides business technology consulting services for companies ranging from home offices to multinational corporations in the New York metropolitan area, the United States and throughout the world. eMazzanti Technologies is Microsoft’s 2012 Partner of the Year for the third year, WatchGuard’s Partner of the Year for three years running and made the Inc. 5000 for the third year in a row. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net. Twitter: @emazzanti , Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.

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New eMazzanti Article: Get More Hours in Your Day with Managed IT Services