Norton Rose inks £5m data security deal with BT

International law firm worried about regulation and disasters

International law firm Norton Rose has signed a deal with BT to improve its data storage and security - part of an effort to improve disaster recovery plans and help it meet compliance demands.

The agreement with BT's Locate Solutions is worth in excess of £5m over 10 years.

The deal will involve Norton Rose consolidating six offices into one central London location and relocating data storage from two sites in central London to BT's facilities within the M25.

It also covers high-speed network links to connect the data sites with the offices and will mean 21 Norton Rose employees will be relocated to BT data storage facilities.

The move was prompted by Norton Rose's need to comply with current legislation, which the firm predicts will boost its storage needs by 40 per cent per annum over the next several years.

The increased possibility of security alerts was also a factor in the deal as Norton Rose believed the company's current data sites could easily become inaccessible in the event of a major disaster.

A spokesman for Norton Rose emphasised that the move was motivated by the company's need for "continuity and peace of mind".

Norton Rose is among 60 companies that have signed up to BT's data storage service in the last two years.