MWW Group and Paratus Launch C3Ready(SM) Services Suite to Bridge Gap Between Business...

MWW Group and Paratus Launch C3Ready(SM) Services Suite to Bridge Gap Between
Business and Operational Continuity Measures and Crisis Communications
Protocols

Partnership Leverages Extensive Public and Private Sector Expertise in
Business Continuity Planning, Operational and Leadership Crisis Management,
Infrastructure Analysis, Incident Response Training and Crisis Communications
Management

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- MWW Group (www.mww.com), one
of the nation's top ten public relations firms, today announced it has formed
a strategic partnership with Paratus, an end-to-end government/business
continuity and crisis management consultancy founded by Timothy W. Patterson,
a former Naval officer who completed his military service with the White House
Military Office, serving with the President's Emergency Operations Center.
Together MWW Group and Paratus have launched C3Ready(SM), a suite of
multi-disciplinary services designed to integrate organizations' operational
and communications responses to anticipated and unforeseen crisis situations.
These integrated services will help to minimize operational downtime, mitigate
revenue and branding losses, improve leadership continuity and as a result,
strengthen the ability to effectively manage all crisis incidents and the
requisite communications with internal and external audiences.

C3Ready focuses on the three critical elements of crisis management --
Continuity, Crisis Response and Communications. It approaches crisis
management with a proactive enterprise-wide perspective, addressing the full
breadth of business operations and communications imperatives, with services
ranging from incident response analysis, crisis plan development and
scenario-based training, to command center architecture, technology
implementation and infrastructure stress testing.

"Far too many organizations impede their business continuity and incident
response measures when they task offices, employees and disconnected
executives with critically-interdependent operational and communication
responsibilities without the proper planning and capabilities," said Timothy
W. Patterson, founder and president of Paratus. "We frequently see business
operations crisis response directed by the COO or a command center, while the
external communications response is directed by the public relations or
marketing team with minimal coordination between the two. During an event, it
is too late to break down those internal barriers, integrate response
activities and deliver crisis communications when every second counts.
Today's business environment clearly demonstrates that internal and external
crises directly affect an organization's revenue, reputation, business
prospects, and, at times, their very existence hangs in the balance."

"Organizations of every shape and size -- whether public or private,
for-profit or not-for-profit, B2B, B2C, digital or brick-and-mortar -- share a
common vulnerability: the impact of time when crises strike," said Michael
Kempner, MWW Group president and chief executive officer. "Operational
disruption can lead to lost sales, lost leadership and declining confidence
among key stakeholders. Likewise, delayed or ineffective communications in a
crisis can cause you to lose control of your story, allowing others to run
roughshod over your reputation."

"Effectively managing a crisis requires more than simple planning and practice
within each department," continued Kempner. "It requires a holistic strategy
for your organization, encompassing both the operational and communications
perspectives. a re-evaluation and reorganization of critical resources to be
leveraged in a crisis and a methodology that not only keeps the lights on and
the Website up, but also efficiently manages the process of communicating your
status and steps to recovery to internal and external audiences."

MWW Group and Paratus each bring a wealth of crisis management tools and
knowledge to the C3Ready offering. Counselors at MWW Group possess a
substantial range and depth of crisis communications expertise -- from
contingency planning, crisis response training and on-site support for clients
in the midst of incidents, to managing the aftermath of crises and the
restoration of trust and reputations. Additionally, the agency is a leader in
digital crisis communications, including the creation and management of
digital and social media tools to be leveraged when crises strike, as well as
monitoring the online landscape during incidents and managing connections with
critical constituencies through online channels.

On the operations front, Paratus supports the public and private sectors with
consultants possessing extensive operational and planning experience at the
highest levels of continuity of operations, continuity of government, business
continuity and emergency preparedness programs. Many of Paratus' consultants
maintain security clearances which enable them to support companies and
government agencies that work in highly sensitive arenas. The Paratus team
regularly supports government organizations and large private industry
corporations in the development and enhancement of their continuity and crisis
programs and capabilities. Paratus integrates their strategic, technical and
operational expertise with their deep industry relationships to leverage
proven methodologies in order to provide client's viable solutions that
enhance their resilience and ability to continue essential services and
operations.

Specific C3Ready services include:

-- Crisis Response / Continuity Planning and Analysis - Establish or
enhance integrated policies, plans and procedures across a palate of
needs -- Business Continuity, Continuity of Government or operations,
internal and external communications, first responder integration,
regulatory compliance, evacuation, leadership succession and the
digital
deployment of response plans.

-- Communications Infrastructure Analysis and Testing - Current crisis
communication infrastructure capabilities analysis, recurrent stress
testing and reporting on operational status of crisis communications
resources including command center data streams, primary and redundant
digital resources, mobile and satellite communications, on-site video
capabilities, crisis team notification tools and in-bound call
systems.

-- Command Center / Emergency Operations Center Architecture - Planning,
development and testing of crisis management centers including
physical
layout, information management and technology resource optimization,
operating procedures and staffing protocols.

-- Incident Response Training and Exercise Support - Planning, execution
and analysis of crisis response and continuity related training
sessions
including online and tabletop training exercises, full-dress mock
crisis
drills, small-group exercises tailored for executive teams and
spokesperson training under simulated crisis conditions.

-- Tailored 'Best Practice' Audits - Primary and Secondary
research and analysis of crisis response and continuity efforts among
an
organization's peer group and across related sectors to determine
and present operational and communications 'Best Practices'
and recommended refinements to current plans and capabilities.

About MWW Group
MWW Group is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is
known for its results-driven approach to public relations and "Aim High... and
Deliver" commitment to client service. For the past four years, MWW Group has
been honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report agency client
satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of
account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and
planning, and program execution. In 2006, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the
Year by The Holmes Report and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News, in
recognition of the firm's growth, strategic account leadership and
industry-leading employee retention. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic
Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).

About Paratus
Paratus is the Latin word for "Prepared." Paratus is an end-to-end
government/business continuity and crisis management firm that provides highly
qualified consultants that mitigate risk and provide viable solutions for
threat or hazard events affecting normal business operations. Paratus'
consultants are certified and have extensive operational, planning and program
management experience at the highest levels in both the government and private
sectors. Individually and collectively the experience, education, knowledge
and technical "know how" allows Paratus to provide top tier continuity and
crisis management consulting services across all levels of government and the
business world. For more information, visit www.paratus-prepared.com.

SOURCE MWW Group

Michael Sacks, MWW Group, +1-212-827-3749, msacks@mww.com