AT&T ready for disaster recovery

It is important to be able to maintain essential communications during a disaster event, AT&T's Network Disaster Recovery team said.

"Disaster recovery is increasingly becoming a priority around the globe," Justin Williams, manager of Network Disaster Recovery Team International at AT&T, told China Daily.

The world has experienced floods, violent storms, tornadoes and some man-made disasters. "We have seen how devastating these events can be for the people and business of stricken countries, therefore a planned and rehearsed recovery is vital for survival," he said.

With the increased focus on disaster recovery it is wise for all markets to ensure that the national telecoms industry is resilient and robust and has plans in place to respond to significant events swiftly, Williams added.

AT&T is a US-based premier communications holding company. The Network Disaster Recovery solution, created by AT&T in 1992, is focused on providing recovery options for its core network and customers.

In crafting these solutions, Williams noted, "We recognized the need to work with the local telecom providers that have a role in the recovery activities."

To keep reliable communications running during a catastrophic event, preparation and planning is essential.

Williams stressed, "So we always promote rigorous disaster recovery drills, in real time, to ensure that when you call upon your plan, it will work, first time every time and you can be 100% ready, 100% of the time."

AT&T has invested $600 million in its entire Network Disaster Recovery program, running field exercises three or four times a year since its inception in 1992.

Of this investment, $16 million has been dedicated to the international markets, and in recent years exercises have been held in the UK and Germany.

"Our investment in our international program includes hardware specifically tailored for all our core networks and customers in Asia Pacific markets with recovery solutions designed for deployment via aircraft, which is key to an effective response in the Asia Pacific," Williams said.

The Asia Pacific market continues to grow, he noted, this market continues to grow and the AT&T program is firmly aligned with this growth and its investment matches the importance of the market to AT&T.