EarthLink Business Launches Cloud Workspace

ATLANTA, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading IT services and communications provider, today announced the launch of its new EarthLink Business® IT Services Cloud Workspace™. Following the April announcement of three EarthLink IT Services packages, Cloud Workspace, a hosted desktop service, is the company's latest virtualization service. This customized environment enables customers to control business applications and data with secure access for employees from anywhere, from any device and via any high-speed Internet or private MPLS connection. Cloud Workspace also helps to significantly reduce operating costs, eliminate capital expenditures, increase employee productivity with easy application access and reduce complex security challenges. With more than 250 applications already available, plus the ability for customers to add their own custom applications, Cloud Workspace functions as a virtual office, wherever employees work.

"With our new Cloud Workspace solution, we've taken the complexity out of application management and end-user accessibility while maximizing business benefits of the cloud," said Mike Fuqua, Vice President of Managed Services Product Management. "As data and applications moved out of the data center and onto local PC-based environments, complexities arose around how to protect the data, assure backups occurred, and provide end-users the flexibility and ability to move application activity between their devices. Cloud Workspace simplifies manageability, increases protection and delivers data and applications securely from the cloud, allowing users the convenience of using any device to access and run applications and data as if local to them, even while moving between devices."

The Cloud Workspace assists in solving many common business challenges, including a myriad of security and compliance issues, plus the need to provide access to corporate resources from smartphones, tablets and other consumer-owned devices. Its primary value lies in helping to significantly reduce operating costs and eliminate capital expenditures; increase employee productivity; and eliminate complex security challenges on EarthLink's fully-managed, centralized IT infrastructure. IT teams can avoid the headache of managing onsite servers and storage.  Centralized data storage allows businesses to breathe easier knowing that their data is not resident on local devices and is no longer as vulnerable to device theft or employee turnover.

"Organizations first may be drawn to the economics and flexibility of the cloud, but business-class solutions like Cloud Workspace also give organizations access to some surprising benefits in terms of security and resiliency," says Amy Larsen DeCarlo, Principal Analyst-Security and Data Center Services with Current Analysis. "EarthLink is able to provide the reliable infrastructure as well as the security protections and expertise that most businesses lack and the provider can do so at an attractive price."

Easy to install and use, Cloud Workspace offers many features to enable organizations of any size to have an IT experience previously only available to Fortune 500 companies. The customizable Cloud Workspace supports a mobile and telecommuting workforce, with secure, instant access to files, applications and email from any Internet connection or private MPLS connection; operating in a highly secure infrastructure that is SSAE 16 compliant, with process controls and infrastructure and certified security experts on the job 24x7; and business continuity, featuring fully redundant data storage and routine back-up and disaster recovery protection.

The IT Services product suite is also available for customer management via the myLink^TM customer portal using a centralized IT Services Center dashboard.

More information on EarthLink Business IT Services is available by calling 1-800-957-4872 or visiting www.earthlinkbusiness.com.

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 28,800 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.

Cloud Workspace™ is a trademark of MRK Networks, Inc. d/b/a independenceIT®

SOURCE EarthLink