2013 Boston Marathon Keeps Pace with Record-Setting Web Traffic Using EarthLink's IT & Communication Services

BOSTON, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading IT services and communications provider, today announced that the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) will again run the 2013 Boston Marathon event via its website hosted 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 Athletic Association's longtime, official IT services provider, EarthLink 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. With one million site visitors and 12 million page views on race day, EarthLink helps ensure that the B.A.A. site remains accessible at all times. EarthLink's SSAE SOC 2 compliant data center in nearby Marlborough provides the reliable, secure infrastructure to handle traffic spikes and stores runners' stats and registration information securely in the cloud. Data can be easily accessed in real-time by event organizers, runners, spectators and worldwide media. The B.A.A. also recently upgraded with EarthLink by adding a private MPLS network for voice and data services to boost application performance and prioritize voice traffic, ensuring that its staff can communicate efficiently leading up to and during races. Click here to view EarthLink's B.A.A. case study.

"It's a huge undertaking each year to put on New England's biggest sporting event. With thousands of runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators, access to data is critical to allow us to track our runners and manage the information flow required to support this event," said T.K. Skenderian, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, Boston Athletic Association. "EarthLink is a great partner to have our back with web traffic on race day. They provide us with the peace of mind to know that we have ample data storage and servers in our arsenal. Even if we get 100 million site visits, we know we can provide a good experience to each and every one of them. "

The B.A.A's website is housed in EarthLink's state-of-the-art, SSAE 16 compliant, fully redundant data center with a 99.999% uptime guarantee, and operated according to industry best practices for security, compliance, efficiency and performance.

"To run this celebrated marathon, the Boston Athletic Association must keep pace with technology, and we are proud that they leverage EarthLink's expertise to ensure top performance," said Michael D. Toplisek, EarthLink Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "With our servers and data storage handling the surge in web traffic during the Marathon, the B.A.A. can focus on the other logistics required to pull off a smooth race and make the best impression on participants and spectators from around the country and the world."

As part of the company's Boston Marathon-related activities, EarthLink also donated invitational race entries to two local, non-profit EarthLink customers. Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries and RESPOND both received race waivers which they use to support their fundraising efforts.

Morgan Memorial Goodwill provides job training, youth programs, and meaningful work opportunities to people with disabilities and RESPOND is New England's first domestic violence agency, providing life-saving shelter, support services, training and education.

"Thanks to our EarthLink-sponsored race waivers, we expect to raise nearly $10,000. These funds will help support our youth programs, such as after-school activities and mentoring, that we operate at Goodwill," said James Harder, Director of Communications at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries.

And Jessica Brayden, Executive Director of RESPOND, Inc. commented, "Thanks to EarthLink's generous donation, we will raise more than $14,000 to support RESPOND's life-saving work. Our emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis hot line, and court assistance often make the difference in escaping a dangerous relationship affected by domestic violence. The funds and awareness raised by EarthLink will help RESPOND serve nearly 10,000 people this year."

EarthLink has approximately 200 employees based in the Boston area engaged in sales, customer support and administrative roles. Six EarthLink employees will also run the Marathon this year after winning an essay contest that awarded Boston Marathon race waivers to the winners. 

About EarthLink
EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading IT services and communications provider to more than 150,000 businesses and one million consumers nationwide. EarthLink empowers customers with managed services including cloud computing, managed and private cloud, and virtualization services such as managed hosting and cloud workspace. EarthLink also offers a robust portfolio of IT security, application hosting, colocation and IT support services. The company operates an extensive network spanning 28,800 route fiber miles with 90 metro fiber rings and 4 secure data centers providing ubiquitous nationwide data and voice IP service coverage across more than 90 percent of the country. Founded in 1994, EarthLink's award-winning reputation for 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 at www.earthlink.net.

SOURCE EarthLink, Inc.