ATLANTA (February 7, 2012) – Southern Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), today announced that Integrated Communication Solutions, a technology systems integrator and technology management services provider, has formalized an agreement to provide managed and unmanaged collocation and interconnect services in Birmingham, Ala. This new agreement provides Data Center infrastructure, technology integration services, and network interconnect services to all organizations that require critical system uptime, backup operation, and effective system availability during disaster recovery situations or as the primary data center for system operations.

“In light of recent natural disasters that have occurred across the country, we recognize the importance of preparedness and know that the disaster recovery elements of collocating are the best fit for both us and our customers. We chose Southern Telecom for the Data Center location based on the unparalleled security, access to fiber optic services, disaster recovery design, backup power infrastructure, and the opportunity to work with such an efficient organization,” said Stan Adams, CEO, at Integrated Communication Solutions. “By taking advantage of existing facilities provided by Southern Telecom, we save installation time, improve serviceability, and provide our clients with the best collocation facilities and integration services in the region.”

As a result of this transition by Integrated Communication Solutions the company will be able to provide quick installations, very high bandwidth connections at significantly reduced client costs, and serve clients throughout the state. Other benefits of the new service arrangement include an impressive climate-controlled environment with redundant power and other backup services.

“Our collocation services are available throughout the Southeast, and have a proven track record with regional service providers,” said Leif Ericson, business development manager with Southern Telecom. “We’re delighted to add Integrated Communication Solutions to support clients in our Birmingham facility and to expand this new relationship,”

Southern Telecom’s state-of-the-art collocation facility in Birmingham includes:

·         Headquarters-level access security and alarm systems

·         Reliable DC and AC power with backup generators and battery systems

·         Pre-designated floor space and build-to-suit options including private, customized cages

·         Rack installation, power build out, cross connections and carrier interconnection

·         Redundant environmental controls

About Southern Company

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company was named the World’s Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

About Southern Telecom

Southern Telecom is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company that provides long-haul and metropolitan dark fiber connecting Atlanta with other smaller cities throughout the Southeast. The company also provides network elements such as right of way, dark fiber, conduit, collocation and other related maintenance services. Southern Telecom is certified in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and also at the federal level. For more information about Southern Telecom, please call (404) 506-5120 or visit www.southern-telecom.com.

About Integrated Communication Solutions

Integrated Communication Solutions (ICS) is a national technology systems integrator with headquarters in Birmingham, AL. The company provides a wide variety of technology solutions and technology management services for corporations and governmental organizations throughout the US and Canada. ICS provides this wide variety of technology services to enterprise, large, medium and small organizations as needed. ICS provides Help Desk and other support and maintenance services for IT systems including data, voice, and video networks as well as computing, cloud, virtual desktop integration, and storage infrastructure. Please call (205) 423-6940 or visit www.ipdvv.com