Unified Certification Standard for Cloud & Managed Service Providers Will Serve as Framework for Agility Recovery Partners and Clients
Chico, CA (Feb 25, 2014) – The International Association of Cloud and Managed Service Providers (MSPAlliance), today announced that Agility Recovery would leverage the Unified Certification Standard audit (UCS) for Cloud and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) for its disaster recovery program.
To ensure the highest-level redundancy and reliability, Agility Recovery will work directly with UCS audited and certified service providers to bring qualified and trusted IT support to customers that have suffered a disruption to their business as a result of a disaster.
“Despite the absence of governmental laws or regulatory safeguards, industry-wide, cross-border standards for evaluating a cloud and managed service provider are crucial to protecting businesses’ safety and privacy,” said General Manager of Agility Recovery, Paul Sullivan. “With the adoption of cloud computing accelerating, there is now an urgent need for a globally accepted, universal standard and code of behavior for service providers delivering these solutions.”
Cloud and MSP certifications, as opposed to vendor specific accreditations, are essential in reassuring customers as to whom they are dealing with in terms of infrastructure, resources, capabilities, financial health, and other requisite characteristics.
Charles Weaver, CEO of MSPAlliance, noted that, “As the cloud is presently unregulated, understanding a provider’s underlying capabilities, security processes and safeguards, as well as its overall financial health, is paramount for organizations that want to successfully utilize cloud computing.
“Business continuity is an important aspect of any organization’s strategic planning. By working with Agility Recovery, UCS audited cloud and managed service providers will be in an optimal position to provide mission-critical IT services to organizations in need.”
In 2013 alone, Agility Recoverymanaged 328 total disaster ‘events’ and 57 disaster declarations during which its physical assets were mobilized to support their members’ recoveries. With more than 19,000 member organizations across North America, Agility Recovery is not only the leading, tenured provider of business continuity services, but also a valued partner.
“You guys are heroes in my book,” noted Worthington Federal Bank SVP and CITO, Scott Jenkins. “To be able to make a call at 6:30 PM and have a generator headed our way after just a couple of hours after the tornados rolled through, taking down the nuclear plant and all of the county’s power with it, is amazing.”
In the wake of one of the worst natural disasters to strike portions of Mississippi and Alabama, where a series of extremely violent tornados devastated much of the region, many businesses found themselves with little to nothing left. With Agility Recovery’s support, Worthington Federal Bank was able to service its customers, as well as customers from other area banks, within 24 hours.
Cloud and Managed Service Providers that wish to participate in Agility Recovery’s Partner Program will now be able to do so by matriculating through the UCS audit and meeting Agility Recovery requirements.
Highlights of this program will include:
● MSPs who have achieved a UCS audit will be eligible to enter the Agility Recovery Partner Program; and
● End-users will have greater assurance that their service provider is qualified technically, as well as financially sound and risk averse in their business operations.
The Unified Certification Standard has been around for over nine years and was developed by MSPs for MSPs as a mechanism for providing guidance for MSPs and customers alike. Today, the UCS is available and recognized on five continents around the world.
For more information about the various MSPAlliance guidelines, including the UCS, the Customer Bill of Rights, and the Managed Service Provider’s Code of Ethics & Conduct, please visit http://www.mspalliance.com/UCS