New European business resiliency organization formed

An organization has been launched to beat cyber terrorism and encourage businesses to protect telecommunications networks. The European Telecommunications Resilience and Recovery Association (ETRRA) aims to help businesses understand the relationship between telecommunications, critical information, infrastructure protection, and corporate governance.

Such understanding is essential. Diane Howorth, business development manager, says: “Research has shown that 70 percent of companies who lose their data are out of business within two years. Because the region’s economy is more dependent upon the small business community, it’s more vulnerable. The mission is to make business aware of the risks, foster co-operation and understanding of telecommunication capabilities and ensure organizations benefit from resilient communications systems.”

As part of its work, ETRRA hopes to become one of the U.K. largest WARPs (Warning Advice and Reporting Points). WARPs provide a trusted focus for members for reporting incidents, attacks, or vulnerabilities in a safe environment. The data is then cleansed, made anonymous, and details shared among members of the same group. Tracey Pitt, CEO of ETRRA, says: “The level of organisational dependency on telecommunications has increased since the turn of the century. ETRRA will endeavour to keep ahead of threats and work with carriers and users to build truly resilient systems.”

-read more at ETRRA Web site; and see n-e-life Web site