The UK's Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs) has contracted with IT outsourcing firm Attenda Limited for the provision of disaster recovery services.
Attenda says it is now managing a "sizeable infrastructure" which forms a dedicated disaster recovery solution for Apacs.
This will be used as part of Apacs' overall business continuity plan so that e-mail, data and specialist applications can be accessed by staff remotely in the event of a crisis.
Sue Yoe, director of technology, information and facilities at Apacs, says the association had already developed stringent security and back-up procedures and it was an obvious step to extend this to the day-to-day operations and ensure the safety of electronic data.
Yoe says planning was already underway when the terrorist attacks of last July took place.
"The subsequent disruption and uncertainty in central London underlined the fact that we were doing the right thing," she adds. "We are also very keen to mitigate the risk of any accidental damage to our building, positioned as we are near to gas pipes and close to a future underground construction project."
Attenda says a disaster rehearsal with 50 selected employees will test the new system this summer and a complete emergency run-through with all staff will follow in the autumn.
Apacs says it is also reviewing the implementation with Attenda and discussing its "next priorities".