Businesses Seek Disaster Recovery Services from Verizon to Keep Communications Flowing in Times of Disruption

LOS ANGELES - Today, more and more companies and governments are reevaluating their communications infrastructure with an eye toward business continuity in times of disruption caused by natural or other disasters. Companies are looking for products and services that address recovery needs such as infrastructure redundancy, remote access and portability for voice and data services.

Using its own experience as a guide, Verizon has gathered the most effective services available today into a portfolio of business recovery and continuity services. This will enable the company to meet the requests of its customers who want to be better prepared for any contingency. Verizon professionals will inform customers about the importance of back-up communications products and services and assist customers in the development and implementation of these mission-critical solutions. This dedicated team will enable the company to keep track of customer needs and requirements on an on-going basis.

By developing comprehensive business recovery and continuity plans that include one or more services available through Verizon, companies should be able to effectively counteract adverse events that render their primary communications infrastructure inoperable. This essential preparation helps to ensure the continuation of critical business operations and to keep communications flowing with employees, customers and suppliers.

"The events of Sept. 11 have altered the environment in which many of our customers operate," said Eduardo R. Menascé, president, Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group. "There is a new level of awareness that they must have increased preparedness. While many already had robust contingency plans in place Sept. 11, many have reevaluated those plans to make them stronger, more reliable and more comprehensive. Our customers are seeking truly redundant systems that can be relied upon to maintain normal business communications during extraordinary circumstances."

Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group learned first-hand the value and importance of services normally taken for granted - services such as custom redirect, secure managed e-mail and remote access. These services were critical in reconnecting hundreds of displaced Verizon employees. In-coming calls were forwarded without having to assign new telephone numbers, e-mail access was quickly restored and employees were able to connect to the company's corporate network and access critical business information from their temporary work locations.

The products and services that Verizon used to restore its own business can be assembled for large business and government customers seeking to develop stronger back-up systems. They encompass many of the most widely used and reliable products and services from the Verizon enterprise portfolio.

Products and services offered under the business recovery and continuity services umbrella:
• Voice Services
  • Conference Connections - a network based audio-conferencing capability that enables customers to conduct calls via a dedicated bridge.

  • Custom Redirect Service - a programmable Advanced Intelligent Network call management function that provides customer control over in bound call routing for both Centrex/CentraNet and private branch exchange (PBX) extensions.

  • Centrex/CentraNet - a managed, network-hosted service not tied to a specific piece of equipment at a specific customer site that can be deployed as a contingency voice system.

  • Private Branch Exchange (PBX) - a customer premises-based contingency voice system ideal for deployment at an alternative or "hot" site.

• Video-Conferencing - a pre-packaged or custom offering consisting of all required equipment, as well as access to the Verizon network, that enables customers to reduce business travel and conduct meetings via video conference.

• Security Services
  • Security Consulting Services - a comprehensive capability designed to assist customers conducting complex vulnerability assessments, cyber-attack response strategies and business recovery/continuity planning.

  • Site Patrol( - provides a fully managed firewall for each Internet connection to mitigate the risk of cyber attacks.

  • VPN Advantage( - a secure, business-quality wide area network communications service - virtual private networks (VPNs) - enable the deployment of intranets or extranets over an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone or the Internet.

  • Secure Managed E-Mail Service - an e-mail service housed on the Verizon network that permits access to e-mail service even if traditional communications links between locations are interrupted.

• Remote Access Services - a comprehensive package offering businesses remote access and teleworking options, enabling communication between businesses and their employees, customers and suppliers, even if a primary business location is not operational.

Additional information about business recovery services available through Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group can be found on its dedicated web site at www.verizon.com/enterprisesolutions/brcs.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group
Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group manages the design, operation and maintenance of end-to-end total network integrated solutions for large business and government customers across the United States. With over 15,000 employees in 46 states, Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group offers a complete range of basic and advanced communications products and services to meet the voice, video, data and IP-related needs of its customers. For more information on products and services available through Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group, please visit www.verizon.com/enterprisesolutions.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 128.5 million access line equivalents and 28.7 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with 256,000 employees and approximately $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

Site Patrol™ and VPN Advantage™ are trademarks of Genuity Inc.

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