Hughes
Announces
Emergency
Networking
Solutions
in
Anticipation
of
Hurricane
Season
June
9
Hughes
Network
Systems,
LLC
announced
the
availability
of
Hughes
Emergency
Solutions
in
anticipation
of
the
2010
hurricane
season.
Hughes
Emergency
Solutions
are
designed
to
provide
robust,
expedited
broadband
Internet
connectivity
for
business
and
government
when
a
disaster
strikes.
According
to
researchers
from
John
Hopkins
and
Texas
A&M
University,
during
the
last
five
major
hurricanes,
nearly
30,000
businesses
and
government
entities
were
forced
to
cease
operations
due
to
power
outages
and
loss
of
Internet
connectivity.(1)
The
2010
hurricane
season
is
expected
to
be
above
normal
with
an
estimated
16
named
storms
and
nine
hurricanes
--
five
of
which
will
be
Category
3 or
higher.
Businesses
and
government
offices
can
expect
to
experience
network
downtime,
impairing
emergency
response
and
recovery
efforts,
disrupting
business
activities,
and
impacting
the
ability
to
keep
mission-critical
operations
running
smoothly.
"Continuity
during
disasters
is
imperative
for
businesses
and
government
agencies,"
said
Mike
Cook,
senior
vice
president
at
Hughes.
"Broadband
satellite
services
provide
network
connectivity
that
continues
to
operate
when
terrestrial
networks
--
including
cell
towers
--
are
severely
damaged.
Incorporating
satellite
services
into
emergency
planning
and
response
activities
enables
businesses
and
government
agencies
to
maintain
uninterrupted
Internet
connections
needed
to
facilitate
disaster
response
and
day-to-day
operations
such
as
sending
and
receiving
e-mails,
processing
orders,
sharing
information,
and
checking
inventory.
We
encourage
businesses
and
government
agencies
to
follow
our
recommendations
to
ensure
that
they
stay
connected
during
the
hurricane
season."
Hughes
suggests
businesses
and
government
agencies
follow
these
simple
steps
to
stay
connected,
eliminate
Internet
downtime,
and
prevent
significant
disruptions
during
this
hurricane
season.
- Have a back-up generator and plenty of batteries on hand. Maintaining electrical power will be a top priority. Without electrical power, you will not be able to maintain your Internet connection.
- Subscribe to a resilient, high-speed Internet service, such as satellite broadband, so decision makers and emergency operators can stay connected, as well as to ensure that your e-mail, product orders, and other critical information can be maintained should your terrestrial network fail.
- Prepare and protect critical data. Evaluate which applications and data are essential, such as Continuity of Operations (COOP)/emergency response plans, accounting documents, inventory logs, and constituent information; back up the information in a timely manner; and store the data in a safe, secure, and dependable facility. Since data may be lost due to flooding, consider storing data at an off-site location.
- Keep at least one corded phone connected to a wall jack to ensure that your office has telecommunications service in the event of an electrical-only outage.
- Do not hesitate to go on alert. If you believe you are at risk of losing service for an extended period of time, put your Web hosting provider on alert.
According
to
Cook,
"Landline
connections
can
be
unreliable
during
significant
flooding
and
windy
conditions,
forcing
operations
to
cease.
This
can
mean
a
significant
loss
of
revenue
for
businesses,
and
disruption
of
vital
government
services
which
are
needed
most
in
recovery
operations.
Hughes
Emergency
Solutions
provides
both
fixed
and
mobile
satellite
solutions
that
can
quickly
restore
those
connections."
The
Hughes
Emergency
Solutions
features
an
Internet
service
plan
with
download
speeds
of
up
to 5
Mbps
and
upload
speeds
of
up
to 1
Mbps,
made
possible
by
utilizing
Hughes'
advanced
SPACEWAY®
3
Ka-band
satellite
system.
The
service
plan
includes
comprehensive
24/7
technical
support;
next-business
day
field
maintenance;
and
provides
organizations
with
the
flexibility
they
need
in
an
emergency,
requiring
only
a
two-month
service
commitment
that
may
be
extended
on a
month-to-month
basis,
depending
on
need.
In
addition,
Hughes
offers
mobile
solutions
with
nationwide
reach
and
vehicle-mount,
on-the-move
terminals
and
flyaway
kits
that
set
up
quickly
for
emergency
Internet
access.
Hughes
can
also
provide
mobile
satellite
service
using
Inmarsat's
Broadband
Global
Area
Network
(BGAN)
service
and
Hughes
BGAN
terminals.
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