MCIP Mci (MM)

Pay-as-You-Go Model Makes Storage Affordable for Businesses of All Sizes ASHBURN, Va., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MCI, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIP) today introduced a new on-demand storage service to help companies better manage and store their growing volume of corporate data. With MCI's new pay-as-you-go service model, companies utilizing MCI's Enterprise Hosting Services can now more cost effectively and easily store critical company information using MCI's new shared infrastructure that leverages its extensive capabilities in server, IP network and storage management. With MCI's Utility Storage Service, MCI can quickly provision Storage Area Networking (SAN) solutions for enterprise customers using its advanced storage infrastructure. Offering virtually limitless access to storage, MCI's new ready-made solution allows customers to buy storage based on current needs rather than building out for maximum storage capacity. In addition, MCI's new on-demand service enables customers to consolidate their storage across multiple platforms-making it an ideal solution for businesses navigating today's increasingly complex storage landscape. "MCI is bringing next-generation Hosting Services to market that deliver greater value and utility for our enterprise customers," said Ed Franklin, MCI senior vice president of IT Services. "With MCI's on-demand storage offering, MCI is helping customers take advantage of a shared storage environment, strengthening their data protection while driving greater cost and resource efficiencies within their operations." Combined with MCI's Smart Back Up and Enhanced Smart Back Up offerings, MCI's utility solution provides high levels of data protection for customers. According to Enterprise Strategy Group, 56 percent of corporations know or worry their current back up and recovery processes leave critical data exposed to potential loss. Also, 27 percent of apparently successful backups cannot be restored, leaving a significant portion of information assets at risk.(1) Gartner estimates that 70 percent of all storage procurement will be usage-based by 2008.(2) Suited to businesses of all sizes, MCI Utility Storage Service makes managing storage easier through its secure, online Client Central portal where customers can view attached servers, track volumes, monitor utilization and add, move and delete storage capacity. Additionally, customers are immediately alerted when their capacity threshold is reached, allowing them to request additional storage space. With MCI's new storage option, companies can benefit from outsourcing the often MCI Launches On-Demand Storage Service for Managed Hosting Customers complex and tedious task of managing their storage infrastructure around-the-clock. With MCI's Utility Storage Service, MCI provides and manages the fully redundant, shared infrastructure using proven, best-of-breed technology from 3PAR and AppIQ, Inc. MCI's advanced storage service leverages a multi-Gigabit redundant Fibre Channel network. Data security and protection is provided through standard mapping, masking and zoning mechanisms to secure host access all within the confines of MCI's Smart Centers. As a managed solution, MCI provides back-end capacity management and planning including SAN discovery and path management, performance and event management, monitoring and file-system level storage resource management. MCI's latest addition to its Enterprise Hosting portfolio complements its broad array of dedicated storage options from Direct Attached Storage to dedicated SAN solutions. The utility storage offering is available immediately to customers located in its U.S. Smart Centers. Using MCI's fully-automated allocation-based billing, customers are charged monthly based on the sum of storage allocated to protect their data. As a leader in delivering advanced hosting services, MCI offers a complete continuum of innovative managed hosting and Data Center Services. MCI's Enterprise Hosting, a Digex Service, and its hosting operations team holds more than 450 individual and organizational professional certifications from leading technology companies, including Microsoft, HP and Sun Microsystems. MCI Hosting is also positioned in the Leaders Quadrant in Gartner Inc.'s Web Hosting Magic Quadrant(3). According to Gartner, leaders are vendors who are performing well today, have a clear vision of market direction and are actively building competencies to sustain their leadership position in the market. About MCI, Inc. MCI, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIP) is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With the industry's most expansive global IP backbone, based on the number of company-owned points of presence, and wholly-owned data networks, MCI develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market. For more information, go to http://www.mci.com/. (1) ESG Research Report, "The Evolution of Enterprise Data Protection" (2) "Choosing Among Storage On-Demand Options," by Adam W. Couture, 1 December 2004 (3) "Magic Quadrant for North American Web Hosting 2004," by Ted Chamberlin and Lydia Leong, 5 October, 2004, reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. DATASOURCE: MCI, Inc. CONTACT: Janet Brumfield of MCI, Inc., 1-800-644-NEWS, Web site: http://www.mci.com/

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