"Companies Only React After Disaster and the Cost of Not Being Prepared is High, Sometimes Terminal" Reveal Symantec Corporation's 2011 Survey Findings

ABU DHABI, UAE, February 9, 2011 - While the majority of private and public companies in the MENA region
intend to create emergency response and recovery plans in the future, the
recent disaster preparedness research conducted by Symantec warns not to
"wait until it's too late". The 2011 survey measured the attitudes and
practices of IT professionals and their customers toward disaster
preparedness in small- and mid-sized businesses.

The findings show that many of the respondents do not understand the
importance of disaster preparedness. Half of the respondents do not have a
plan in place; 41% said that it never occurred to them to put together a plan
and 40% stated that disaster preparedness is not a priority for them. This
lack of preparation is surprising given that 65% of respondents live in
regions susceptible to natural disasters.

Disasters can have a significant financial impact, the downtime can also
put companies out of business temporarily or result in having to shut down
due to a disaster. The recent severe flooding in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia caused
65,000 of Saudi Electricity Company's customers to remain without power for
several days. The torrential rain cost the lives of at least ten people and
caused injuries to at least 114 people, with a total of 1,451 reported as
rescued by the country's civil defence land and air squads.

As organisations create plans it is crucial to recognise the importance
of training and exercising in improving emergency management and business
continuity. International and regional experts from a wide variety of
corporations across the public and private sectors will review the response
to natural disasters and identify best practice strategies to improve the
readiness to deal with these situations at the 3rd Annual Disaster and Crisis
Response Middle East conference, taking place in Abu Dhabi in April.

With the aim to improve the way in which organisations in the Middle East
deploy effective business continuity strategies to mitigate the economic
impact of such disasters, the event will feature contributions from leading
crisis response experts: Major General (Ret.) Professor Alan Hawley,
Professor of Disaster Studies, Director of Disasters & Resilience Centre,
University of Glamorgan, UK, Roshan Daluwakgoda, Sr. Dir., Strategy Planning,
Risk Assessment, & DR Technology, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications
Centre PJSC (DU), Ali Asad, Emergency Response Coordinator, Kuwait Oil
Company, and Andrew Hoar, Disaster Coordinator, King Faizal Specialist
Hospital.

About IQPC:

For over thirty years, IQPC has helped the world's leading corporations
solve their business challenges through the sharing of practical industry
solutions and global best practice. In the process, the company has built a
formidable reputation for quality and value. The world's most progressive
companies have benefited from IQPC's unrivalled global reach, which has
connected international expertise with regional and local leaders.

For information about Disaster Management And Crisis Response Middle East
taking place 24-27 April 2011 at Yas Island Rotana, Abu Dhabi, UAE please
visit www.disasterandcrisisresponseme.com or alternatively please
contact: Katia Andrejev, Marketing Manager, IQPC at katia.andrejev@iqpc.com
or call; +971-4-446-2748

Katia Andrejev, Marketing Manager, IQPC at katia.andrejev at iqpc.com or call; +971-4-446-2748