ContinuityAT&T receives DHS disaster preparedness certification

Published 11 June 2012

AT&T said Friday that it is the first company in the United States to earn DHS certification for disaster preparedness; AT&T’s certification is the first under the DHS Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Program, designed to enable private sector organizations to enhance their capabilities for planning, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters and other threats

AT&T said Friday that it is the first company in the United States to earn DHS certification for disaster preparedness.

AT&T’s certification is the first under the DHS Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Program. The PS-Prep program is administered by DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. The program enables private sector organizations to enhance their capabilities for planning, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters and other threats.

We are proud to be the first company to achieve this Homeland Security certification, for it reflects AT&T’s long-standing commitment to business continuity through disaster preparedness,” said Pamela Lackey, president of AT&T South Carolina. “This accomplishment is a tribute to South Carolina’s leaders who, for many years, have championed policies that encourage investment in advanced and reliable technologies across the state. As a result, our business and network operations are state-of-the-art when it comes to performing during and after a disaster or emergency.”

AT&T says that over the past four years the company has invested more than $950 million in its South Carolina wireless and wireline networks to improve their service quality and dependability.

Lackey said the strength of AT&T’s continuity program, coupled with its industry-leading Global Network Operations Center, help the company and its customers continue operations during and after emergencies.  In addition, AT&T’s Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) program is designed to recover/maintain communications services in the wake of disasters and includes a fleet of more than 320 self-contained equipment trailers and support vehicles that house the same type of equipment and components as an AT&T data-routing or voice-switching center.

We are prepared, as well, to help customers achieve a high level of preparedness for their own business networks and IT systems,” she said, noting that AT&T offers business continuity consulting to its customers. “Being proactive about continuity planning helps keep a company, or a community, be as prepared as possible for emergencies.”