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Press release:

Ref: OGI0240
10th November 2010

Brightside Group Plan for the Unexpected with Open GI

One of the fastest growing insurance broking and financial services businesses in the UK, Brightside Group, has successfully completed a disaster recovery test with Open GI.

The Bristol based broker, who employ over 700 staff and is comprised of eight trading businesses, specialise in delivering market-leading insurance solutions to both individuals and brokers. The group decided to test their disaster recovery plan that incorporated the Open GI Business Continuity Solution to ensure they could continue to trade in the event of an unforeseen disruption to their business.

The prevalence of disaster recovery in the broker market is vital; many brokers now favour a full disaster recovery service rather than risk being left without the ability to trade. Research shows that 45% of broker businesses* have either no or only very rough plans drawn up for continuing to trade after a disaster.

Open GI currently has over 140 Business Continuity contracts in place with brokers who are keen to protect their businesses from the unexpected. The Business Continuity Solution supplements clients existing maintenance including the provision of servers and loan equipment (for example client PCs) on site at an agreed location within 48 hours.

Simon Jones, IT Director, Brightside Group, said: “Regular testing of our disaster recovery plans are critical to ensuring that the business can continue to function with minimum interruption in the event of a major incident.

“Our objectives for the test were to trial the data recovery capabilities of Open GI’s Support Team and to update the documents detailing the recovery process. The trial covered six key areas, all of which proved a success. Carrying out the trial has given us the opportunity to guarantee that our disaster recovery procedure is as thorough as possible, as well as confirming our full confidence in Open GI’s ability to deliver.”

Simon Hughes, Sales and Marketing Director, Open GI, said: “Disaster recovery planning is not a luxury; many businesses that suffer disruption never recover. It is important that brokers take steps to minimise the real risks to the longevity of their business.

“Many of our brokers understand the importance of Business Continuity and have opted for our extensive solution to establish the continuation of their technical infrastructures. It is great to see Brightside Group validating the value of disaster recovery by carrying out this trial.”

*Source: Insurance Times, October 2010

For More Information contact:
Stacy Prosser
Marketing Team Leader
Open GI
Tel: 01905 754455
email: stacy.prosser@opengi.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Open GI supplies market leading IT solutions to insurance brokers across the UK & Ireland. With 25,000 users in around 2,000 firms, the company has a 40% share of the UK broker market and is committed to technological innovation. Open GI technology enables personal and commercial lines brokers trading in standard and niche markets to streamline business activity and become more profitable. With a workforce of 300 people and a 30 year heritage, the company enjoys a strong financial performance. For the year ended 31 st May 2007 Open GI reported revenues of £27.3 million and an operating profit of £13.6 million.