BUSINESS BRIEFS
DRFortress helping city with backup
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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DRFortress, Honolulu's largest data center and Internet exchange, is partnering with the city's Department of Emergency Management to provide a critical backup site during emergencies.
The services, being provided free, will ensure the city and county has global Internet access during power outages caused by natural disasters and other events.
"By partnering with DRFortress, we will be able to use their hub as a backup center for first responders, support private sector enterprises and to ensure uninterrupted contact with the Mainland USA and Asia in emergency situations," said Gordon Bruce, director for the city's Department of Information Technology.
DRFortress' flagship in Honolulu is a state-of-the-art 21,300-square-foot facility featuring round-the-clock secure operations, fully redundant continuous power systems and local connections to all the major carriers, Internet service providers and resellers.
HONOLULU MAN JOINS TAXPAYER PANEL
The Treasury Department has selected a Honolulu man to serve on the nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, which makes suggestions for improving IRS service.John Kim, a resident of Honolulu, is one of 100 volunteers serving on the panel. He will represent local taxpayers as well as work on national issues.
"I hope it will give me the opportunity to contribute to making tax filing a simpler process for our citizens," said Kim, who is retired.
Panel members devote 300 to 500 hours yearly to the panel. Members work with IRS executives on priority topics and also serve as a conduit for grassroots issues between the public and the IRS.
Taxpayers can contact John Kim and the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel by calling 888-912-1227, or online at www.improveirs.org. Taxpayers can also write to the panel at: Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, 915 2nd Ave. M/S W406, Seattle, WA 98174.
HAWAI'I UNION MEMBERSHIP ROSE 6,000
Union membership in Hawai'i rose to 24.3 percent of the state's workforce, up from 23.4 percent in 2007, amid widespread job losses and credit woes.The ranks of organized labor rose by 6,000 workers in 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday. That makes Hawai'i the state with the second-highest percentage of union members, behind only New York. Hawai'i overtook Alaska, which dropped to third highest in 2008 from second highest in 2007.
