UK Phoenix Gets Disaster-Struck Firms Up and Running

Businesses that suffer a major disaster could be fully up and running in new premises within just two hours, thanks to a new BC service from Phoenix, the trading name of ICM Continuity Consulting Limited.
 
Phoenix Re:Cover is a BC package that includes disaster planning assessment, annual rehearsal days, emergency offices, replacement servers and internet, secure data backup and inclusive membership of the Business Continuity Institute (BCI). The launch of the service coincides with Business Continuity Awareness Week, the global educational event for people to learn more about Business Continuity Management (BCM).
 
Phoenix Re:Cover is delivered through a network of 15 fully-equipped, purpose-built Emergency Offices based around the UK that businesses can migrate to in the event of any disaster, or serious disruption to operations. Within two hours of reporting an incident – such as flood, fire, extreme weather event, security breach or IT disruption – contracting businesses can resume their operations from their nearest Phoenix Emergency Office.
 
The pre-packaged services bundled together in Phoenix Re:Cover are designed for organisations of all sizes in both the public and private sectors, and are built on Phoenix’s 25 year experience in BC. Coverage starts from under £100 a week, enabling businesses to protect themselves from the disastrous consequences of downtime for less than the cost of fuelling just one company car.
 
"While government and financial services organisations are mandated to implement Business Continuity plans, many sectors continue to be exposed to the impacts of disaster," said Mike Osborne, MD of Phoenix’s Business Continuity Unit. "In the construction industry, for example, only one in four firms has a business continuity plan, while other industries such as transport and logistics, manufacturing and business services are lagging far behind. This is in spite of research from the Cabinet Office and Chartered Management Institute which found that overwhelming majority of businesses say that Business Continuity spend is justified by benefits."
 
"We believe that there is much work to be done to de-mystify business continuity," continued Osborne. "Many organisations are either putting their heads in the sand when it comes to preparing for disaster, or they are unnecessarily investing huge sums in standby IT or premises. Our research has uncovered that firms are either confused by the jargon, under a misconception of the cost of cover, or simply are unaware of the services that are available."
 
"Any business downtime through IT loss or disaster, has serious immediate affects on operations and cash flow, but the real long-term harm comes from the damage to a business’ reputation, which can take years to recover – if at all. By packaging a fully comprehensive package of plan review, access to the emergency offices and replacement technology, plus providing professional industry guidance and advice, Phoenix will be saving organisations money and ensuring they are perfectly prepared for any event that could befall their business," concluded Osborne.
 
Lorraine Darke, executive director and Board Member of the Business Continuity Institute, said: "We are delighted that Phoenix has opted to include Affiliate membership of the BCI as part of the Re:Cover business continuity solution package. Re:Cover purchasers will join the Institute’s 7000+ members who are able to access BCM information, advice and latest developments assisting them to work towards making their businesses more resilient. Having worked in partnership with the people from Phoenix for many years, we know they are passionate about providing excellent customer service to support their products and including BCI Affiliate membership within the Re:Cover demonstrates this commitment."
 
About Phoenix
Established in 1979, Phoenix is an UK IT service provider, delivering IT infrastructure services through a portfolio of end-to-end IT solutions focused on optimised availability for both cloud solutions and more traditional environments. It delivers services to over 3,600 organisations in the UK across a number of sectors. Customers include Accenture, Atos, Barclaycard, BT, Capgemini, Capita, Costain, Diageo, HP, Jaguar Land Rover, Nomura, and Wipro. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Phoenix has a turnover of £272m and employs over 2,400 people.