Reliable Internet Means Ditching Downtime
Reliable Internet. Anyone who’s ever read anything about business connectivity will have come across this phrase. You don’t need to be fluent in Tech to understand that a reliable internet connection is essential for the survival of your business.
We’ve also heard the phrase “internet or network redundancy.” While we generally understand the word “redundant” to refer to something necessary we can all agree that the Internet is anything but unnecessary.
By definition, network (or internet) redundancy is “a process through which additional or alternate instances of network devices, equipment and communication mediums are installed within network infrastructure. It is a method for ensuring network availability in case of a network device or path failure and unavailability.”
And there it is. That is actually the whole and entire point. It’s because we need the Internet so much that we have to have systems in place that make it redundant in times of connectivity loss. Still confused? Bear with us – illumination is but moments away.
James Yorke, a distinguished university maths and physics professor, famously said, “The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.” Were truer words ever spoken? And that is exactly what Internet redundancy is – your business’ connectivity Plan B.
Techopedia defines it thus: “A process through which additional or alternate instances of network devices, equipment and communication mediums are installed within a network infrastructure.”
Think of it as your company’s spare tyre. When or if your usual network fails, Internet redundancy is your back up mechanism, allowing you to swap all your mission-critical operations onto another infrastructure.
Risks Of Not Having Internet Redundancy
The risks of not having Internet redundancy (also sometimes referred to as a network failover) are pretty much the same as not having Internet connectivity. Your business has to be online. All the time. If you don’t have connectivity, you put your entire company at risk.
Here’s just a glimpse of the type of fallout you can expect if your Internet goes down:
Productivity Loss
This is the probably the most significant effect of any period of downtime. If you run any part of your business in the cloud – such as payroll, voice calling, Office 365, Salesforce.com or ERP, among others – a fast, reliable Internet connection is critical to your productivity. If you can’t access the Cloud, you can’t work, and if you’re not working, productivity drops. The more you have in the Cloud, the more crucial it is to have Internet redundancy.
Financial Loss
Of course, when you lose productivity, you lose money. And you lose it much more quickly than you might think. With so much choice out there, and everyone competing for the same customers, those companies that respond quickly to customer queries, or who process orders promptly and efficiently, will thrive. Those who don’t, won’t. And if you lose customers because of Internet downtime, they are very hard to win back.
Reputation Loss
When customers are unable to get hold of you, or if website queries go unanswered, you instantly lose credibility, and your reputation suffers. What if your lack of Internet redundancy means customer orders go unprocessed? Or phones are never answered? You leave yourself wide open to scathing reviews on social media, and a severely damaged reputation.
Why Does The Internet Fail In The First Place?
Network reliability is getting better all the time, but there are still a vast number of things that could happen to cause a network or site to go down. A severe storm, or other natural disaster, for example, can easily damage the cables or other infrastructure that makes your network work. In South Africa, copper cable theft is still rife, and this causes ADSL networks to be unavailable – sometimes for considerable lengths of time. Cable damage – from an unlucky worker putting a spade through an underground cable, for example – is also more common than you might think. And, as cybercriminals become ever more wily and clever, we’ll see more cyber attacks on networks too.
Most of these instances are completely outside our control, so there’s nothing we can do to stop them from happening. All we can do is be like Boy Scouts, and “be prepared.”
The Time For Plan B Is Now!
A recent study by an American insurance company revealed that while over two-thirds of business owners realised the importance of having some kind of Internet redundancy plan, only 23 percent had actually done so. The hard truth is this: If you operate your business without having Internet redundancy as part of your business continuity plan, you are putting it – and the livelihood of your employees – at risk.
At Huge Connect, we have a unique network architecture, allowing us to route your data traffic to any of a multitude of telecommunication network platforms. This means you enjoy continuous uptime – if your primary network fails, we automatically reroute you to an alternate network and your connectivity is maintained. This is the beauty of Internet redundancy. So, ditch the dangers of downtime. Call us today.
