IBM Opens New Business Continuity and Resiliency Service Center in Izmir, Turkey

IZMIR, Turkey .- In line with increasing business demand, IBM (NYSE: IBM) has opened a new Business Continuity and Resiliency Services (BCRS) Center in Izmir, Turkey, replacing the former facility, which has been in operation since 1995. The new facility features advanced data center capabilities and workplace-recovery technologies designed to help companies safeguard and recover critical information and ensure uninterrupted operations.

The BCRS center offers tailor-made business continuity services to allow companies to continue business operations under the most challenging circumstances, including natural disasters. The facility provides technology hosting services to clients, allowing them not only to store valuable data at the secure data center, but also to continue to work from wherever they have access to a computing device and internet connection.

The Interbank Card Center (BKM), a system-level services provider, that aims to provide solutions to the common problems and developing the rules and standards of credit and debit cards in Turkey, has used one of IBM’s BCRS Centers since 1995.

“BKM offers 24/7 seamless computing services to 28 private and public banks across Turkey. It is essential for us to be able to ensure continuity of computing services regardless of the situation and environmental conditions,” said Ercument Buyuksumnulu, Technology Services Director Interbank Card Center (BKM). “This new facility affords us even greater levels of service and reliability and provides the ideal environment for us, including advanced, energy-efficient technologies, a high degree of security and excellent support services.”

The Turkish-Austrian constructed building is a 4000 m2, 3-floor state-of-the-art facility, which hosts nearly 300 working seats that can be easily extended to 500 seats. The current working space is accommodated on 1000 square meters. The center’s equipment includes storage appliances called data protection vaults and recovery software. With its own emergency power supply, the facility is capable of operating for a minimum of 48 hours independent of an external power supply The technologies installed at the new facility were selected not only for their reliability and high-performance, but also for their energy efficiency.

“IBM’s new Business Continuity and Resiliency Service Center has been designed to meet the growing needs of our customers and helps to ensure that they can continue critical operations even in the most difficult circumstances,” said Michel Charouk, Country General Manager, IBM Turkey.

With over forty years of global experience in the business continuity arena and more than 150 business resilience centers worldwide, IBM has deep industry-specific knowledge and a broad range of major clients and leading services, for an unmatched end-to-end portfolio. For more information, go to www.ibm.com/services/continuity.