Vast majority of UK businesses have no 'plan B' to cope with transport or severe weather problems

London — June 16, 2009— Businesses effected by the recent Tube strikes face more avoidable losses and disruption because they are failing to invest in affordable, high performance Unified Communications (UC)technology, according to a study conducted by Eurodata Systems.

The study of 100 mid market companies based in London found that 52% had an existing remote access solution, but were not able to deliver it to employees on a scale which enabled a ‘business as usual’ approach. A further 34% of respondents had no Disaster Recovery plan in place at all, so were not able to offer staff any productive alternative to travelling into work. Only 16% of businesses currently operate a comprehensive UC service, enabling them to operate without disruption under any travel circumstances.

Eurodata’s own UC services allow the business to operate normally during any period where transportation is disrupted, whether it is a result of strike action or severe weather. This includes giving staff home-based access to video conferencing, allowing them to quickly determine the status of colleagues (on the phone, in meetings, etc), free calls and a highly secure connection to corporate systems.

“Most businesses just wait for the disruption to end and pick up the pieces afterwards,” explained Des Lekerman, joint managing director and co-founder of Eurodata Systems plc. “Even on a smaller scale, the cost of one or even a few employees not being able to get into work can be highly significant,so businesses should really consider that with a sensible investment in UC technology, they can operate as normal no matter what kind of disruption they are facing, whether it lasts just 48 hours or much longer.”

Unified Communications integrates voice, data, fixed and wireless business channels, allowing teams to work together, answer calls and customer queries whether in or out of the office. With London’s transport network problems, coupled with the new UK law for flexible working rights for parents, health scares and even unpredictable weather, companies need to be prepared and maintain productivity with little downtime – even if staff are stuck at home or on the road.

By comparing the disruption reported by organisations without UC in place to those that did, Eurodata argues that most businesses have no ‘plan B’ in place which enables their employees to work normally in the event of major transport problems. Employees either spent many hours trying to travel to work without using the Tube or stayed at home unable to access their usual IT and communications services fully.

Eurodata found that UC-enabled businesses were able to maintain normal operations throughout the recent tube strike, including one large corporation who ran a large-scale annual staff meeting as planned, but did so via its UC-based Live Meeting service. Another London-based organisation was able to maintain plans for customer conference calls to Manchester,while it’s own team was spread across London and the surrounding area.

The impact of absent IT staff can also have a significant impact on overall operations, with Eurodata reporting a 30% increase in support calls from one London Council to its Managed Services Centre.

Unified Communications on Demand
Eurodata will be hosting a special event at Microsoft’s HQ in London on July 15th. ‘Unified Communications on Demand’ will offer attendees the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and best devices used to reduce telecommunications costs by 10% and increase employee productivity up to 25%. With expert guest speakers and client case studies, it will demonstrate how voice, video,and data can be used to locate and connect with anyone – anywhere.

For further information,visit: http://www.eurodatasystems.com/uc2009/default.asp

About Eurodata Systems
Eurodata Systems delivers IT business solutions by optimising client’s IT infrastructure. Our innovative award winning services are implemented through our proven tailored methodology;ensuring customer business and IT needs are met.

With over 18 years experience across multiple industry sectors, our clients have benefited from leading edge IT managed services. Our solutions have reduced client IT overheads, improved IT service quality and maximised business efficiencies. Areas of expertise include; unified communications, network and IT security, storage solutions and bespoke managed services. In addition to being the Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Eurodata is the first Mitel’s enterprise partner and one of HP’s top HP partners in the UK.

As well as being awarded ‘Microsoft Security Partner of the Year’ 2008, the company achieved 'Services Provider of the Year' for the third successive year at the Computer Reseller News awards 2007, as well as being recognised as 'SME-focused reseller of the year' at the MicroScope Awards for Channel Excellence (ACEs) in May 2007. Also in 2007, Eurodata won the Nimsoft ‘Gold Winner Best Practices in Managed Services’ award.

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