2012 Boston Marathon Runs on EarthLink's Data Center Platform

BOSTON, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading IT services and communications provider, today announced that the 2012 Boston Marathon will once again run the event via data center services provided by EarthLink. With nearly 27,000 participants from across the globe, the Boston Marathon is among the most data-driven sporting events in the country.

As the Boston Marathon's longtime, official data center provider, EarthLink provides the reliable, secure infrastructure that enables the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) to seamlessly manage this iconic event online. EarthLink Business hosts the B.A.A.'s website, on which all participants for the Boston Marathon, as well as other B.A.A. races, must register online. The runners' stats and registration information is stored securely in the cloud at EarthLink's data center in nearby Marlborough. Data can be easily accessed in real-time by B.A.A event organizers, runners, spectators and worldwide media. The Marathon also attracts 500,000 spectators each year, making it New England's most widely viewed sporting event.

"With thousands of runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators, access to data is critical to allowing us to track all of our runners and manage all of the information flow required to support this event," said T.K. Skenderian, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, Boston Athletic Association. "Thanks to EarthLink, our event organizers and 26,895 participating runners know they have safe and convenient access to a high-performance website that has the information they need both before and on race day."

The B.A.A's infrastructure is housed in EarthLink's state-of-the-art, fully redundant data center with a 99.999% uptime guarantee, and operated according to industry best practices for security, compliance, efficiency and performance.

"EarthLink is proud to provide the Boston Athletic Association with the reliable, secure data center services that keep the Boston Marathon and its runners on track, and lets the B.A.A. focus on this seminal event in lieu of its IT infrastructure," said Mae Squier-Dow, EarthLink President of Premier Business Solutions.

As part of the company's Boston Marathon-related activities, EarthLink is also donating invitational race entries to three local, non-profit EarthLink customers. Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, The Boston Living Center, and RESPOND all received race waivers which they use to support their fundraising efforts.

Morgan Memorial Goodwill provides job training and meaningful work opportunities to people with disabilities. The Boston Living Center is the area's largest resource center for people living with HIV/AIDS and RESPOND is New England's first domestic violence agency, providing life-saving shelter, support services, training and education to more than 75,000 people in need.

"As a result of our EarthLink-sponsored race waivers, we expect to raise almost $15,000. These additional funds will go a long way towards supporting our youth programs at Goodwill," said James Harder, Director of Communications at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries.

EarthLink has a sizeable employee base in the Boston market, with approximately 280 employees engaged in sales, customer support and administrative roles.

About EarthLink
EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading IT services, network and communications provider to more than 150,000 businesses and over one million consumers nationwide. EarthLink empowers customers with managed IT services including cloud computing, data centers, virtualization, security, applications and support services, in addition to nationwide data and voice IP services. The company operates an extensive network including 28,000 route fiber miles, 90 metro fiber rings and 4 secure data centers providing ubiquitous IP coverage across more than 90 percent of the country. Founded in 1994, the company's award-winning reputation for both outstanding service and product innovation is supported by an experienced team of professionals focused on best-in-class customer care.  For more information, visit EarthLink's website www.earthlink.net.

SOURCE EarthLink