HP Announces Strategic Developments

HP (www.hp.com) today announced a series of strategic moves to boost its business continuity and availability offering, including the hiring of former META Group lead analyst Mark Vanston, co-development of an executive study with Continuity Insights and key customer wins.

As senior advisor for Business Continuity and Enterprise Risk Strategies at HP, Vanston brings insight and strategic direction to help further evolve HP's business continuity and availability services. A recognized authority within the business continuity sector, Vanston is responsible for bringing together a set of customizable solutions consisting of people, processes and technologies that are designed to help customers solve business continuity, availability, compliance and operational risk challenges.

In addition, HP and Continuity Insights are conducting a survey that gives senior business and IT executives insight into their peers' business continuity best practices, current challenges and future threats.

Participants in the study will receive a complimentary copy of the research results. Designed for complete confidentiality, the study is being managed by Continuity Research, an independent research firm. Information about participating in the study is available at www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=192029. Results from the study are expected to be released in May.

"Customers want to drive competitive advantage with an IT environment that dynamically adapts and evolves with ever-changing business needs and helps to mitigate risk - whether the cause is threat, disruption or change," said Belinda Wilson, executive director, Business Continuity and Availability Services, HP.

As a part of its ongoing best practices in business continuity for its customers and itself, Avaya has selected HP's Business Continuity and Availability Services. Two HP Recovery Centers will serve office recovery needs in the United States and another will do so in Asia.

Summit Information Systems, a financial services software developer for credit unions, selected HP for business continuity planning and annual recovery training for the company's Florida-based data centers, which are vulnerable to hurricanes and other disasters.

"We go through disaster recovery training and prepare the staff each year for any crisis or natural disaster," said Steve Steinbach, disaster recovery coordinator, Summit Information Systems.