IBM and Cisco Systems have rolled out a line of equipment designed to help enterprises and government agencies restore and recover IT systems after catastrophic events. 

The IBM Crisis Management Services for Crisis Response is a series of portable hardware and software components designed to be deployed when natural disasters or fires wipe out the hardware components of a company's systems.

"Organisations face a growing number of threats from natural and man-made disasters or disruptive events that can have costly and far-reaching implications," said Joe Pinto, senior vice president of technical services at Cisco.

"To make matters worse, in the immediate aftermath of such an event, reliable and secure communications networks are overloaded, damaged or destroyed, impeding an organisation's ability to respond, collaborate and coordinate relief efforts."

The disaster recovery equipment ranges from suitcase-sized portable systems and utility vehicles packed with equipment, to full-sized trailer set-ups that include a satellite dish and large aerial broadcast antenna.

IBM said that all the equipment used in the systems is off-the-shelf and currently available.

The systems aim to quickly restore access to hardware that is still operational after a disaster and to recover information.

They will also be able set up a secure internal wireless network and channels for communications between other companies and agencies.