Gartner Dataquest Survey Shows That Despite Threats of War and Terrorism, Most U.S. Firms Unprepared for Business and IT Outages.

Business Editors

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003

Despite the possibility of war and terrorist activity, most U.S. companies are not capable of withstanding business and IT outages caused by a severe calamity, according to a recent survey by Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB).

One in three U.S. businesses would lose critical data or operational capability if a disaster occurred, unless investments are made immediately toward disaster preparedness planning.

"More prioritized investments must be made to ensure that businesses can quickly regain productivity after a calamity," said Tony Adams, principal analyst for Gartner Dataquest's IT Services group. "Preparation is key, and without adequate investment for protection of critical systems, the repercussions of disasters will be lengthier and more costly."

According to the survey, lack of funds was cited as a main reason by 24 percent of respondents for not yet initiating a formal disaster plan.

"IT managers are not investing appropriately in disaster plans because they do not have a budget to accomplish their needed readiness," said Adams. "Budget constraints are forcing an average of 40 percent of respondents to rely on a 'best guess' to determine potential risk rather than obtaining formal assessments, which would be too costly."

Even businesses that have a plan are facing some jeopardy because financial support is unavailable. Thirty-seven percent of IT managers who have an organizational disaster plan in place need additional investment to get those plans to a satisfactory level.

"The good news is that businesses now more widely understand that they must prepare in advance to solve the complex logistical and personnel problems inherent in a disaster," said Adams. "Responsible leaders will rely on preparatory investment to better the odds of surviving such a hit to their business."

The survey of 205 U.S. professionals was administered in November 2002 via a Web survey. The respondents that participated in the study were responsible for, or knowledgeable about, their organizations' business continuity and disaster recovery planning.

More information on the findings is available in the Gartner Dataquest report titled "Investment Decisions: Preparing for Organizational Disasters." The report highlights the intentions of companies and organizations as they prepare for unplanned business and IT outages. The report can be purchased from Gartner's Web site at www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=384445&ref=g_search#h9.

Gartner will provide additional analysis on business continuity during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003, to be held March 23-27 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most strategic conference, providing business leaders with a look today at the future of IT. For more details or to register for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003, visit www.gartner.com/us/symposiumwest or call 1-800-778-1997. Members of the media can register for the event by contacting Maria DiMasi at 212-699-2734 or e-mailing [e-mail].

Gartner Dataquest, a unit of Gartner, Inc., is the recognized leader in providing the high-technology and financial communities with market intelligence for the semiconductor, computer systems and peripherals, communications, document management, software, and services sectors of the global IT industry.

Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 10,500 clients leverage technology to achieve business success. Gartner's businesses are Research, Consulting, Measurement, Events and Executive Programs. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and has 4,000 associates, including more than 1,000 research analysts and consultants, in more than 75 locations worldwide. Fiscal 2002 revenue totaled $907 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.