Disaster planningMobile security services, cloud top priority in business disaster planning

As the United States readies itself for the upcoming 2012 Hurricane Season, businesses and organizations have developed their business continuity and disaster recovery plans to include mobile security services in the effort of protecting their IT infrastructure.

A recent study by AT&T found that:

• 83 percent of executives indicated that the planning and implementation of a business continuity plan as being a priority for their businesses and organizations — a 12 percent increase over last year’s national survey.
• Six out of ten (60 percent) invest in mobile security services with the majority (69 percent) indicating potential security breaches as the most pressing concern.
• 38 percent expressed making investments in cloud computing while another 34 percent expressed investing in mobile applications.
• 86 percent already have a business continuity plan in place in the event of a disaster or threat — up 8 percent over the past five years.

The results for the latest AT&T annual business continuity study shed light on several trends regarding how businesses are preparing themselves for potential disasters and threats. AT&T says it has conducted this study for more than ten consecutive years, surveying IT executives from companies in the United States with at least $25 million in annual revenue to measure the national pulse on business continuity planning.

2012 AT&T Business Continuity Study key findings:

The complexities of maintaining mobility and wireless capabilities during the event of a disaster or security threat has become an increasing aspect of importance for businesses as they consider business continuity planning.

• 67 percent (two-thirds) of executives surveyed have included wireless network capabilities as part of their business continuity plans.
• 52 percent of IT executives surveyed anticipated the spending for mobile security services to increase.
• Cloud computing is becoming a critical element of Business Continuity plans based on security, performance and cost savings benefits.
• Most companies (65 percent) will be investing in new telecommunications technologies to support their IT infrastructures.

The prevalence of social networking capabilities and mobile networks/devices in the workplace remain a concern for IT executives as they look to minimize the impact of security threats.

• The majority of executives (87%) have become more concerned about the increased use and potential threats of mobile networks and devices than social networking capabilities (76 percent).
• 88 percent of companies surveyed have taken a proactive approach to securing their IT infrastructure.
• Two-thirds (67 percent) of IT executives indicate that their business continuity plan accommodates the possibility of a “virtual event” such as a potential security breach.

With business continuity plans in place, businesses and organizations are testing and preparing themselves for potential IT threats and disasters.

• Roughly two-thirds (63 percent) of companies have had their business continuity plans fully tested in the past year.
• Seven out of ten (71 percent) companies implement specific protective actions when the state or federal government issues an alert for an impending disaster.
• 87 percent of companies have implemented the necessary arrangements for communicating with key executives during a natural disaster.

“There’s certainly no shortage of potential threats or disasters around the world and it’s evident that executives are taking the necessary measures to ensure their business continuity plans are in place and actionable,” said Chris Costello, assistant vice president, Offer Management, Cloud Services. We’ve seen a strong emphasis on IT security and continued growth in areas of cloud and mobile applications; implying that companies are embracing the tools and services needed to continue operational activities despite potential threats and disasters.”