MessageOne Inc. has added a new option to its AlertFind
notification service that will allow access to storage systems and
collaborative
business continuity documents in the aftermath of a
disaster.
AlertFind automates "phone tree" notification plans, contacting
employees of a business at multiple phone numbers and email
addresses to alert them to a disaster and send instructions. The
new service, Incident Collaboration Center (ICC), adds access to
off-site data storage or a managed repository of business
continuity documents and messaging systems, such as email. Also
included is a GUI that automates workflows and tracks collaborative
recovery efforts and messages similar to project management
software.
"The 'people element' of disaster recovery is often overlooked,"
said Paul D'Arcy, vice president of marketing for MessageOne.
"Disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, showed that disaster recovery
(DR) processes that require people to be in the office aren't going
to be effective."
Users have the option of accessing off-site storage through ICC,
as well. MessageOne, primarily an email archiving service provider
that offers hosted storage for email messages, said that o-ffsite
storage not under its management can also be accessed by ICC.
"Bystanders" who are not a direct part of the disaster recovery
process, but who want to be aware of what's going on, can also log
in and view documents and messages through a Web-based portal.
Currently, the product is in limited release, at fewer than 10
organizations. One AlertFind user, Esurance Inc., plans to add the
service for disaster recovery messaging, though it does not plan to
connect ICC to its secondary data center storage. "We already have
plans in place for access to off-site data," said C.J. Emery,
benefits and compensation manager for Esurance Inc.
However, as a Web-based business with a widespread employee base
of sales, customer service and field representatives scattered
across the country, Emery said the ability to post documents, such
as evacuation maps, hotel locations established as gathering sites
and contact information, will be just as crucial in a disaster.
"ICC will let us do more mass notification than AlertFind," he
said. "When we need a response, we'll use AlertFind, but if we just
want to send out a general message, we can do it more easily with
ICC."
Users need not have MessageOne hosted storage to use ICC, but
they do need to have AlertFind as a prerequisite for ICC. Though it
is a module within AlertFind, ICC licenses are priced separately
and at the same price as AlertFind licenses. D'Arcy said licenses
cost about $2 per user per year, with a typical purchase coming to
around $6,000. MessageOne plans to sell the service through the
channel but has no partners to announce yet.
SunGard, a MessageOne OEM, has added similar
off-site messaging support for its email archiving service.