Hitachi to introduce 'earthquake cards`?

Hitachi Japan is considering introducing a card that gives instructions for employees in the event of an earthquake with an intensity of five or stronger on the Japanese seismic scale, reports Asahi.

More than 200 000 group employees would be required to carry the card. The card, as small as a business card, would contain phone numbers for employees to receive job instructions or report on their personal safety.

The electronics manufacturer intends to minimise disruptions to operations although the safety of employees and their families are the top priority, the reports says.

GeoWireless is showcasing disaster recovery abilities and its mobile command and control centre in 40 US cities, according to the Telematics Journal.

The tour targets first responders, security officials, technology officers, government agency personnel and the public. Wireless technology used to assist in the Gulf region and in post hurricane Katrina communication will be on display, including VOIP and wireless data transmission speeds of over a 10Mbps.

In addition to the mobile unit, GeoWireless will demonstrate its flyaway kit which provides instant wireless connectivity anywhere in an emergency. The customisable kits allow first responders or government officials to re-establish data and voice communications via satellite.

SteelEye Technology has developed monitoring and recovery capabilities for IBM Director 5.1, according to a company statement.

The LifeKeeper Protection Suite for IBM Director 5.1 provides all of the components needed to build a cluster of servers running IBM Director to protect against unplanned outages and to perform manual switchovers which eliminate downtime due to planned maintenance.

The suite includes monitoring and recovery of IBM Director processes, the operating system, the server hardware and the built-in Derby database. Users can deploy configurations using either shared or replicated data depending on specific needs. This initial release supports Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 platforms and is immediately available for free download from its Web site.