Dell starts business disaster recovery services

Dell last month launched a range of business continuity services in the UK aimed at large and small businesses alike. The computer giant is offering defined recovery times, and says it intends to help reduce downtime and prevent business interruption or data loss during several types of emergency. The new services include an enhancement to Dell’s existing services with an equipment replacement service (ERS) that involves the rapid dispatch of identical or more powerful hardware irrespective of the cause of downtime within two hours. Offered as a three-year initial contract, ERS includes all of Dell’s Business Support and Enterprise Gold support services. But it doesn’t stop there. It’s also designed to minimise downtime by reviewing and rehearsing continuity and disaster recovery plans. Users can choose from an optional five-day initial review of existing plans, and a two-day rehearsal conducted each year so staff know what to do. Oscar O’Connor, Head of Dell Professional Services, says: “The statistics regarding business continuity are alarming. With 80% of companies globally that experience a disaster and do not have adequate recovery plans in place going out of business within a year, it is essential for businesses to implement a disaster recovery plan. “Dell has seen a clear demand for business resilience and an increasing intolerance of downtime across all market sectors. Disaster recovery has often been regarded as a service affordable only by larger enterprises, and yet smaller companies can suffer significant losses if their IT infrastructures are not resilient.” Research carried out by Dell revealed that there is a perception among small firms that business continuity and disaster recovery plans are too expensive, and only available to bigger companies. Yet the research also showed that the main IT concerns among SMEs are data security (64%) and disaster recovery (54%). “With an average budget of around £160,000 a year, many SMEs believe there are more pressing IT matters to deal with, and that their budget won’t stretch to include a disaster recovery plan,” comments O’Connor. “These new services are aimed at businesses of all sizes and make business continuity affordable..”