Hughes Access Continuity Service Protects AmeriPride's Service Centers from Network Outages

Alternate Path Broadband Network Provides Backup to MPLS Network

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Mar 29, 2011, 08:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AmeriPride grew from a push cart business more than a century ago in Lincoln, Nebraska, to a multi-national uniform rental service and linen supply company by taking nothing to chance. It's a key reason why the company recently selected the Hughes Access Continuity Service over broadband satellite from Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) to protect its service centers across North America from network outages.

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Hughes, the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, and a leading provider of managed network services, is providing a reliable and ubiquitous satellite backup network service to AmeriPride service centers in the U.S. and Canada. The Hughes solution backs up AmeriPride's MPLS network, ensuring continuity of network services in case of landline outages.

Reliable, high-speed network backup is critical to AmeriPride's operations since more than 150,000 businesses rely on the company to deliver garments weekly. The company's state-of-the-art RFID and bar-code system tracks exactly where garments are at all times to ensure prompt delivery and great service.

According to Jack Clemons, AmeriPride's Manager of Infrastructure and Information Security Officer, the company needed a path diverse satellite-based backup solution since even terrestrial backup networks are vulnerable to the same outages that affect the primary network. The company considered 3G wireless, but quickly ruled it out because of performance and reliability issues.

"Our business and reputation requires on-time deliveries and quick response times. Should a storm, backhoe or other calamity take down our primary network, chances are we'd lose our dial-up backup network as well. Hughes has already proven its mettle by protecting us during several network outages. Hughes not only gives us an always-on backup network service that covers even our most remote service centers, the company was also able to fine-tune network performance to make our garment-tracking applications run at peak performance when the backup failover kicks in," he said.

"Terrestrial network outages are a fact of life. Companies cannot afford to lose revenue from a location when the primary network connection goes down," said Mike Cook, senior vice president, Hughes. "Hughes Access Continuity Service can quickly bring sites on line and protect companies like AmeriPride against significant revenue losses due to network outages."

About AmeriPride

AmeriPride Services was founded in 1889 in Lincoln, Nebraska and today is still owned and actively managed by the founding family. AmeriPride as grown into a multi-national organization operating over 150 production facilities and service centers throughout the United States and Canada. Over 150,000 customers receive AmeriPride service every week. AmeriPride is recognized as one of the five largest uniform rental and linen supply companies in North America. For additional information, please visit www.ameripride.com.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments globally. HughesNet® is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.5 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by TIA, ETSI, and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For more information, please visit www.hughes.com.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC