Autism Society of North Carolina Keeps Up with Increasing Demand with EarthLink Cloud Hosting and Private Multi-Site Network

ATLANTA, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading IT services and communications provider, today announced that longtime customer the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) has added EarthLink Cloud Hosting to support its critical applications and upgraded to a private EarthLink MPLS network for voice and data to run its statewide operation and keep pace with the increasing demand for its services. Click here to view ASNC's EarthLink video case study.

While April is Autism Awareness Month, the need for support from the Autism Society of North Carolina, one of the oldest non-profits serving families and individuals on the autism spectrum, is year round and growing by the day. With recent studies indicating that 1 in 70 children in N.C. will be affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), more and more families rely on the advocacy, training, education and direct supports that ASNC provides. The Autism Society of North Carolina, an EarthLink customer since 2004, recently added EarthLink Cloud Hosting placing its fundraising, finance and database applications securely in the cloud, to improve access to critical applications and boost employee productivity. To keep up with demand, ASNC also now leverages a secure, robust EarthLink 10-site private MPLS network featuring Voice over IP, 4 digit inter-office dialing and data sharing.

"The cloud has definitely changed the way that we do business because being able to access data remotely is a much more efficient use of time," said Tracey Sheriff, CEO of the Autism Society of North Carolina. "From an employee standpoint, it's much more productive because they can now work and access data from home or different office locations."

ASNC's MPLS network not only reliably and cost-effectively delivers the voice and data services needed to conduct its statewide mission, but it also ensures HIPAA compliance and privacy for its clients' medical records. Depending on the size and needs of each ASNC site, whether Camp Royall, the country's oldest autism camp, a regional service office or the Raleigh headquarters, EarthLink customizes the bandwidth for each location.

"We receive more than 12,000 calls annually for assistance, and EarthLink is the key vendor that ensures that we are responsive to those calls," Sheriff said "We rely on the EarthLink team to help us stay connected to our clients and families, and fulfill our mission."

Further strengthening the partnership, EarthLink also serves as an ongoing corporate sponsor of ASNC's annual Triangle Run/Walk for Autism, an event that raises awareness and funds that help the 60,000 North Carolina families affected by autism spectrum disorders. EarthLink's Triangle employees organize and walk as a team, raising funds for the organization.

"The Autism Society of North Carolina delivers extremely important services to families and individuals impacted by autism, and our role during this longtime relationship is to continually strive to strengthen its infrastructure," said Michael D. Toplisek, EarthLink Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Non-profit organizations face the challenge of putting limited resources to the best possible use, and our cost-effective solution is designed for maximum performance so this agency can focus on directing more aid to North Carolinians in need."

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.

About the Autism Society of North Carolina
For over forty years, the Autism Society of North Carolina has led efforts to address areas of need and expand services for the autism community in North Carolina. ASNC works to directly improve the lives of individuals affected by autism, by providing advocacy, education, and services. Additional information is available by calling 1-800-442-2762 or by visiting www.autismsociety-nc.org.

SOURCE EarthLink, Inc.