IBM and Cisco have teamed up to launch a variety of new offerings to help businesses and government manage crises. Packaged together as ‘Crisis Management Services for Crisis Response’ the solutions offer open, modular, wireless and standards-based commercial platforms that address key aspects of a catastrophic or disruptive event, while preserving the integrity and security of infrastructure.

Key components of the service are multiple, automated, intelligent-response management platforms that are enabled by a service oriented architecture (SOA). All can be rapidly deployed to help restore operations in the event of a crisis.

Platforms available include:

* A tactical communications kit (TCK) - a suitcase-size kit designed for rapid deployment that can be forward positioned;

* A fixed or easily transported fog cutter device (FC) - a server-rack-size module that is highly flexible and delivers deployed, scalable core and extended voice, data and video interoperability to any area;

* A network emergency response vehicle (NERV I) - a sport utility vehicle providing a medium-scale network, communications and information-based services;

* A command network emergency response vehicle (NERV III) - a six-wheel truck that delivers large-scale network, communications and information-based services.

Each platform consists of commercial, off-the-shelf hardware and software from IBM, Cisco and other vendors. These platforms have been specifically designed to allow customers to leverage their existing assets, devices and investments.

"Businesses and governments operating in today's environment require capabilities across all three phases of crisis: readiness, response and recovery," said Philippe Jarre, vice president, IBM Business Continuity and Resiliency Services. "This exciting new relationship with Cisco represents the state-of-the-art approach in helping our clients protect and improve their business operations by providing the industry's only true end-to-end crisis response solution."

"Organizations face a growing number of threats from natural and man-made disasters or disruptive events that have costly, far-reaching impact," said Joe Pinto, senior vice president of technical services for Cisco. "To make matters worse, in the immediate aftermath of such an event, reliable and secure communications networks are overloaded, damaged or destroyed, impeding an organization's ability to rapidly respond, collaborate and coordinate relief efforts. Cisco and IBM have created this service to dramatically change this response and recovery capability from being an afterthought to an essential business imperative that will greatly enhance recovery efforts."

•Date: 22nd March 2007 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Recovery facilities
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