The fibre provided by ntl:Telewest Business is a key element of Knowledge IT's £5 million investment programme in a disaster recovery service that connects sites in South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Wearside.
The investment will see the creation of a potential 35 jobs as Knowledge IT builds out its disaster recovery solution from its Washington headquarters in South Tyneside. The new sites provide customers with suites and offices as well as physical, biometric and electronic systems that conform to ISO27001 for information security.
The ntl:Telewest Business fibre links provide a high bandwidth, scalable and secure connection between each of the three Knowledge IT sites. This means that customers can relocate to any one of the three sites in the event of a disaster and continue normal business operations using Knowledge IT's office space and IT infrastructure.
Knowledge IT's customers in the North East include blue chip public and private sector organisations including Durham City Council, the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, Mamas and Papas and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue.
"The North East is fast developing as an IT-based economy and business communications services hot spot. Disaster recovery solutions such as those provided by Knowledge IT are critical to ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster or unforeseen incident," said Alan Worthing, Business Sales Manager - North East, ntl:Telewest Business.
"The majority of businesses don't plan for IT failures and yet these events are becoming more common and the threat to business continuity is very real. Knowledge IT aims to ensure that its customers do not suffer any down time in the event of a disaster," said Kevin McAndrew, Technical Director, Knowledge IT.