AUGUSTA, Ga. - In the event of a major disaster, such as a hurricane or terrorist attack, citizens naturally expect many branches of government to provide rescue and support. But what if the same disaster devastates the very government agencies - and the personnel, buildings, and equipment - that citizens are depending on?
Continuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that enable government agencies to continue essential operations in case of catastrophic events.
ESi® ContinuityPlannerTM is a new, stand-alone software tool that enables federal, state, and local government planners to design customized and flexible continuity of government (COG) and continuity of operations (COOP) plans that can be used and shared during an exercise or crisis situation with an unlimited number of recipients.
"The only way to prevent chaos when disaster strikes is with a carefully crafted continuity of operations plan - and you better not have it locked away in a file cabinet when it's needed!" said Dean Reese, product manager, ESi. "While other COOP products were created for the business community, this new software is specifically designed to address the unique needs of government agencies that create, maintain, and disseminate comprehensive COOP plans."
ESi ContinuityPlanner is based on an over 20-year industry standard in continuity planning, the Living Disaster Recovery Planning System® (LDRPS®) from SunGard Availability Services®. Planners use federal guideline-compliant templates to build as many plans as needed, covering response, resumption, recovery, crisis management, and COOP, as well as scenario-based plans. ESi ContinuityPlanner then integrates these plans into a cohesive continuity and recovery program.
"We are pleased about this integration of SunGard and ESi technology," said Brian Turley, senior vice president and general manager, SunGard Availability Services. "The ESi application uses our Plan Navigators® that give developers step-by-step instructions on how to build and manage plans. Keyword-linked reference screens make it easy for users to create detailed recovery plans that include logistics, available resources, and personnel management."
Plan Navigators, COOP planning methodology, and the COOP terminology utilized in ESi ContinuityPlanner are based on Federal Continuity Directive 1 (FCD1) requirements.
Updating many disconnected documents can make plan maintenance difficult and tedious. To simplify and speed plan maintenance, ESi ContinuityPlanner uses a relational database that enables updates and edits to take effect throughout the entire plan. Plan libraries enable planners to select items to be repeated whenever referenced in the plan, rather than adding them each time.
Moreover, ESi ContinuityPlanner can quicklyentify each gap created when an employee changes responsibilities or leaves an organization. Additionally, plan libraries enable planners to select items to be repeated whenever they are referenced in the plan, rather than adding them each time.
"A good COOP plan enables government officials and workers to conduct business as usual, even when infrastructure, facilities, services, and personnel are not available, or while emergency response and recovery operations are underway," Mr. Reese added. "ESi ContinuityPlanner, while stand-alone, also works in concert with other ESi products to provide comprehensive, complementary, and critical planning and response functions during both emergency and non-emergency conditions."
A variety of licensing options are available that make ESi ContinuityPlanner affordable for even the smallest government organizations. For more information, please contact ESi at www.ESi911.com.
About ESi Founded in 1996, Augusta, Georgia-based ESi®, the global leader in crisis information management solutions, pioneered the market with WebEOC®, the world's first Web-enabled emergency management communications system. Recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America in 2007 and 2008, ESi connects crisis response teams and decision makers at national, state and local agencies, healthcare providers, airlines and corporations worldwide, providing access to real-time information for a common operating picture during a crisis or daily operations. By offering a solutions package from initial design and installation through training, implementation and maintenance, ESi sets the standard for crisis information management. For more information, please visit www.ESi911.com.
Trademark Information: WebEOC® and ESi® are registered trademarks of ESi Acquisition, Inc. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
About SunGard Availability Services SunGard Availability Services provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software to more than 10,000 customers in North America and Europe. With five million square feet of datacenter and operations space, SunGard assists IT organizations across virtually all industry and government sectors in preparing for and recovering from emergencies by helping them minimize their computer downtime and optimize their uptime. Through direct sales and channel partners, we help organizations ensure their people and customers have uninterrupted access to the information systems they need in order to do business. To learn more, visit www.availability.sungard.com or call 1-800-468-7483.
About SunGard SunGard is one of the world's leading software and IT services companies. SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries, including the world's 25 largest financial services companies.
SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software.
With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 435 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and services company on the Forbes list of private businesses. Based on information compiled by Datamonitor*, SunGard is the third largest provider of business applications software after Oracle and SAP. Continuity, Insurance & Risk has recognized SunGard as service provider of the year an unprecedented six times. For more information, please visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.
For more information, contact: Norm Viksna Phone: 706-262-2516 Email: nviksna@esi911.com