News
HP Unveils Business Recovery Services
- By Scott Bekker
- March 23, 1999
Hoping to strengthen its position in the disaster recovery (DR) market, Hewlett-Packard Co. today announced a global business-recovery network that positions the company as a one-stop DR solution.
The HP Business Recovery Services supports a variety of customer services such as off-site data backups, data vaulting and data mirroring. The network also will be leveraged to conventional hot-site customers who maintain a dedicated telecommunications line to the HP recovery centers for rehearsals and actual DR.
The North American segment of the HP business-recovery network uses asynchronous transfer mode and frame relay technology to provide 28 point of presence (POP) locations throughout major metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada. The company expects 38 POPs in 37 metropolitan areas by May. HP monitors and manages the network environment via two operations centers equipped with HP OpenView enterprise-management software. The company also has a South African network that uses frame relay to support nine POP locations across South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
DR is a subscriber service that allows customers access, in the event of a natural or man-made disaster, to a fully functional alternative computer facility or to a computer system shipped to a location of their choice. Services also include the provision of alternative office facilities complete with desks, PCs and call center equipment. Most services include disaster migration plans, business impact analysis and disaster-recovery plans.
More information about HP's recovery efforts can be found at its Web site. Competitors in the DR services industry include SunGard Recovery Services (http://recovery.sungard.com), IBM Business Recovery Services (http://www.brs.ibm.com) and Comdisco Inc. (www.comdisco.com). -- Brian Ploskina, Assistant Editor
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.