For Immediate Release: November 1, 2005
University of Miami ITEx and Telefonica Launch b-SureSM
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Services Portfolio
CORAL GABLES, FL -- The University of Miami's Information Technology Institute (UM/ITEx), and the US subsidiary of global telecommunications leader Telefonica, today launched b-SureSM ; a joint end-to-end Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services portfolio which enables organizations to design and execute integrated solutions to be compliant with specific industry regulations, and to be prepared for any unforeseen event impacting business down-time and productivity.
The right Business Continuity strategy ensures that operations and critical business processes persist despite unforeseen events. The b-SureSM services portfolio includes a comprehensive set of consulting and infrastructure components for Business Continuity Planning from which a customer can choose according to its needs and developmental stage. On the consulting side the portfolio includes Continuity Planning, Compliance Auditing, Implementation Methodologies, and Training. On the infrastructure side the portfolio includes Platform Replication, System Replication, Remote Back-Up, and Workgroup Recovery.
"We are very excited about this new joint service offering delivered by world-class professionals and supported by state of-the-art facilities. b-SureSM will enable companies to certify new or existing Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans, and fully execute all measures to ensure regulatory compliance." said Pete Pizarro, CEO of Telefonica's US subsidiary.
The b-SureSM portfolio adds value to organizations seeking Business Continuity Planning by assuring that they are prepared with strategies, plans, processes and tools in place and ready to execute so they can continue their business operations and services to their stakeholders (employees, customers, vendors, and investors) in the event of business down time. Since businesses rely on other businesses up and down the relationship chain, the protection of such relationships is an investment not only in the organization itself but in other businesses that rely on that organization's viability and continued operations.
"By organizations investing in and protecting themselves, that same investment is also being leveraged to protect their stakeholder relationships", said Dr. M. Lewis Temares, VP/CIO of the University of Miami's Information Technology Department and Dean of the College of Engineering. "The bottom-line is that if a business loses operational capability there is loss of potential customers, reputations at stake and the potential of letting the competition gain ground which all translates into lost revenue. Organizations should invest in b-SureSM to improve the probability that disruptions to their business will be minimized.".
The consulting side of the b-SureSM solution includes four critical components. Continuity Planning, which helps organizations create or update their respective strategies, plans and business processes for continuing business operations. Implementation Methodologies, utilized to help deliver the end-product in a uniformed manner to ensure consistency, better controls and improved quality. Several Implementation Methodologies can be utilized to employ a set of 'best practices' and established metrics that can be applied within an organization's workplace relevant to their particular industry. Compliance Auditing is offered to ensure that organizations' relevant regulatory guidelines are met, since if they are not it can result in stiff penalties for the organization. All of the b-SureSM consulting offerings include appropriate Training, delivered via meetings, seminars, workshops or course offerings customized for each respective organization.
The infrastructure side of the b-SureSM solution also includes four critical components. Platform Replication, which takes an entire organization's primary computer system structure and data and mirrors it to a real-time secondary system that provides full monitoring and restoration in the event the primary system goes down. System Replication, which offers customers complete access to up to the minute data from a remote location in the event of down time (a Mission Critical option to the System Replication component also exists, which provides needed data to multiple system platforms immediately after a fallout occurs). Remote Backup, which offers a full up to the minute copy and storage of data at a remote site accessible after down time. And, as Business Continuity Planning is critical to the survival of an organization and the livelihood of its employees, the b-SureSM infrastructure solution also includes a Workgroup Recovery component. This component provides a physical space with a work-desk environment fully equipped with PC, Phone and Internet access that a customer can petition in the event their organization's facilities are down.
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About Telefonica USA, Inc.
Telefonica USA, Inc. based in Miami, Florida, is a leading provider of global corporate communications and managed data center and IT services. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Telefonica Group
About The University of Miami ITEx
The University of Miami's Information Technology Executive Institute (UM/ITEx) is a center of excellence in executive management, with content and resources for CIOs and other C-level executives, their direct reports, and aspiring leaders. By drawing on decades of practical CIO and executive experience, ITEx provides individually tailored solutions to clients through the combination of professional development coursework and customer-site research, combined with the latest academic knowledge of IT management systems and theoretical concepts. ITEx is the sister Institute to the NGJ Information Systems Institute, a 20-year-old training center within the University of Miami Information Technology division, which has been recognized with numerous awards and in various industry-wide publications as a leader in IT management and best practices. For more information visit: www.miami.edu/itex
Telefonica Media Contact:
Maxim Weitzman
mweitzman@us.telefonica.com
305-925-5249
UM/ITEx Media Contact:
Annie Reisewitz
a.reisewitz@miami.edu
305-284-1601
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