Sunday, September 30, 2012

Data Loss and Downtime Result in 16 Per Cent Loss to Annual Revenues for Businesses

eHosting DataFort Headlines IDC’s ‘Safeguard Your Business’ Conference as Event Partners

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, September 29th 2012 [ME NewsWire]


Nearly 50 per cent of businesses that lose data during a disaster are likely toincur up to 16 per cent loss in their annual revenues. In addition to data loss, the downtime varies between 300 - 1,200 hours per year. The trend validates the relevance of business sustainability and competitiveness for organisations to build trust among their customers, employees and stakeholders. This was pointed out by experts at ‘Safeguard Your Business’ conference hosted by international IT market  advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC) in conjunction with eHosting DataFort.


Thehalf-day conference was held at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. Supported by industry leaders such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Outsource Zone, EMC and Vision Solutions (Double-Take), the event saw IT experts examiningcore issues facing the industry. The event was attended by more than 130 CIOs and IT decision makers from across the UAE.

Yasser Zeineldin, CEO at eHosting DataFort, said: “Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning is a must in today’s economy. Examining organisational risks and understanding their impact on operational efficiency have never been more important. Companies, on their part, are increasingly relying on the expertise of service providers for designing a long term feasibility plan for data and network protection given the fact that optimal solutions and expertise are locally available.”

In addition toshowcasing latest developments in business continuity and disaster recovery services, ‘Safeguard Your Business’ conference highlighted critical concerns such as increased reliance on ICT and compliance to regulatory requirements. Experts also called for recognising the need to improve systems and business process availability, enhance data protection, and drive the integration of IT operational risk management strategies.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “Dubai has been a strategic location for companies setting up base in the Middle East. The availability of high-end technology solutions for businesses to keep up with their international counterparts and the ability to reach out to all key markets for securing future business growth are key factors.

“Towards this end, Dubai Internet City is committed to providing up-to-date infrastructure to our business partners who are equally conscious about investing in data protection and business continuity solutions. The practice has gained increased relevance in recent times due to the changing political scenario and incidence of natural disasters in the region.”

Megha Kumar, Research Manager, Software and Enterprise Solutions, IDC Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said: “Today, Middle East CIOs are aware of the risks linked to information unavailability. According to a recent IDC CIO survey, 72 per cent of the ME CIOs are investing in business continuity and disaster recovery solutions in 2012. This is important as the business environment is growing more and more complex with consumers demanding 24/7 availability to customers, suppliers, and regulators, as well as efficient data management, protection and flexibility to make necessary changes to operational processes. It is indeed becoming imperative that IT departments consider the streamlining of corporate policies, organisational measures, and technological solutions.”

Roudy Eid, Gulf Regional Sales Manager, BRS division, EMC, said: “Information is the most critical asset for any organisation. Therefore, storing and protecting this information is vital. However, there is no one size fits all solution for safeguarding information. In moving from traditional IT to the ‘Cloud Strategy’, the solutions and role of service providers will also change. By adopting ‘Hybrid Cloud Transformation’, our customers will realise major benefits particularly in data protection, disaster recovery and business continuity.”

Expert-led presentations at the event focused on identifying business critical processes, designing the right continuity programme for specific customer needs, and deploying disciplined and tested methodologies to address different aspects of businesses. Protecting data and information through the implementation of secondary disaster recovery sites and high-availability replication solutions was also recommended.

Wouter Vancoppenolle, Sales Director, Middle East and Africa, Vision Solutions (Double-Take), said: “Customer maturity with regard to disaster recovery is increasing in the region. Businesses, irrespective of their size, are beginning to understand the impact of any kind of downturn. In order to avoid data loss, CIOs are investing in holistic disaster recovery solutions including host-based replication solutions.”

With world-class data centres, resilient and scalable infrastructure and round-the-clock managed operations, eHosting DataFort has established itself as a market leader in the field of hosting and managed IT services. eHosting DataFort has been recognized for its innovative use of new technology in 2009, Best Colocation Facility in 2010 & 2011 and was also awarded the region’s ‘Best Managed Service Provider of the Year’ in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

For more information, please visit www.ehdf.com

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About eHosting DataFort

eHosting DataFort, a fully owned subsidiary of TECOM Investments and is a leading provider of Managed IT services. The organization has obtained a number of notable projects to deliver world-class Managed IT Services to major enterprises across the region including some of the largest organizations e.g. Dubai Financial Market, Tejari,  Axiom Telecom,  Dubai Municipality, Khaleej Times, Panasonic, Dubai e-government and du.

Website: www.ehdf.com; Email: info@ehdf.com; Phone: +971 4 391 3040; Fax: +971 4 391 3050

Contacts


Nancy Sudheer
APCO Worldwide
(JiWin Public Relations)
Tel: + 971 4 369 2834
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