‘I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.’ | ||
| --Catherine the Great (1729-96) | ||
Organizations have come a long way in exchanging information internally and externally from the good old days of plain telephones and telex. Some of the common and most extensively used methods of communication are listed below.
E-mail
Internet, WorldWideWeb, Chat, Instant Messenger, etc
Private telephone networks for voice
Data transfer using Internet and private leased lines
Mobile phones, pagers, SMS, etc
Regular telephones, fax, etc
Voice over IP, Voice over Broadband
Local and wide area networks
Wireless
... and various other electronic methods.
Organizations have also become heavily dependent on various methods of communication. In fact, many businesses will practically shut down if their communication links fail. For example, a giant online book seller like Amazon.com may lose thousands of dollars if communication links to their website fail even for half a day. Even small vendors and businesses will suffer if their communication systems fail beyond acceptable limits.
Before the popularity of, and dependence on, the Internet, most organizations worked as isolated silos. The only method of communication with the outside world was through regular telephones, telex or fax. Nowadays, organizations have several methods of communication and are extremely dependent on them. Some of the common communication methods are:
Local area network within an office
Campus networks
Wide area networks between offices of the organization
E-mail (internal and external)
Private data leased lines connecting various branch offices of an organization within a city, country or internationally
Private voice leased lines connecting various branch offices of an organization within a city, country or internationally
Connection via the Internet
Virtual private networks via the Internet connecting branches or external suppliers, consultants, telecommuters, etc
Wireless communication.
External vendors and service providers usually provide these facilities. Organizations are directly and indirectly dependent on such external sources for their business communications. Communication failures can occur at any time. A disconnect or trouble in any of the above communication modes can cripple an organization’s business functions. For example, if an organization depends on e-mail for its support functions to its customers, then it will not be able to provide speedy support to its customers if the e-mail system is down. Each and every method of communication is prone to risks and outages. Hence, organizations must ensure that they have more than one method of communication should the primary method fail for all their critical functions.
Some of the common communication disaster recovery methods or workable alternatives are listed below:
If the local area network fails, it is possible to have some standby switching equipment to provide essential services to end-users.
If an organization is connected to its branch offices via a private leased line, it can also implement a slow speed dial up-line in parallel, to be used when the main link fails. Or it can have multiple leased lines that can be used if the main one fails.
If an organization loses connection to the Internet via a dedicated line, it can have a few standalone Internet stations via dial-up or broadband to the Internet.
If an organization’s private voice network is down, it can use paid services such as IDD (international direct dialling).
Companies can have telephone services from more than one service provider to avoid failure in one or the other.
Companies can also have more than one method of standard communication. For example, they can provide customer support through e-mail, phone and fax or by logging on to a website and posting a message.
A local area network or LAN is an important method of connecting computers within an organization. Today, it is not possible to use only stand-alone computers to store or access data. All computers must be linked to access e-mail, send and receive data, access the Internet and so on. Computers are connected using high-end equipment like switches, hubs, etc. High-quality switch boxes are available from several vendors like Cisco, Cabletron, etc. These boxes have ports that can connect just a few computers or hundreds of computers. Some of the common methods of preventing LAN disasters are:
Physical redundancy: Have multiple switches for connecting computers. Switches are available which range from 8-ports to 48-ports or higher. Besides, these switches can be cascaded to provide even more ports. For example, it is better to buy several 24-port or 48-port switches and cascade them rather than buying one integrated switch that has 200 ports. This will ensure that if any switch fails it will affect only a small number of users.
Standby equipment: Have enough standby equipment for critical equipment. For example, have a spare working switch to connect servers and other critical equipment should the main switch fail.
Maintenance contract: Ensure that the switches are under proper and comprehensive maintenance from reputable vendors for speedy replacement during failures. If your business cannot afford to wait, ensure your IT department has critical spares onsite.
Updating patches: Install all manufacturers’ recommended patches, firmware upgrades, etc, periodically.
Proper UPS power: Keep all switches powered by clean UPS power and housed in dust-free, cool enclosures.
In today’s distributed environment, losing wide area network (WAN) connectivity can cripple a company’s ability to function just as effectively as a massive data centre outage. Here are some best practices for designing and developing a resilient WAN:
Physical redundancy: Make sure you have separate cables providing separate services. For example, if you have one long distance service provider providing three WAN links, have all of them on separate physical cables running on different paths. Label every link properly to speedily troubleshoot in the event of a link failure.
Physical risk: Ensure each link is secure from water seepages, rats, accidental cuts due to digging, thefts, etc.
Routing redundancy: This is a logical redundancy. For example, if the main WAN link between Office 1 and Office 2 fails, configure the network so that the data can be routed via Office 3, if possible. This is called logical switching and is possible with TCIP (transmission control Internet protocol) networks.
Multiple service providers: Buy WAN links from more than one service provider if possible.
Service provider disaster recovery plan: Ensure that your WAN service provider has a demonstrable DR plan.
Dial-up lines: Have an ISDN backup dial-up link connecting all offices to be used in the event of a major WAN crisis. Test the dial-up links periodically.
Voice connectivity: Ensure that you have multiple modes of voice connectivity, eg, mobiles, regular phones, IP telephones, Internet telephony, and even old methods of communication – faxes, telex, etc. Do not decommission any mode of communication fully, even if it is old – keep a small working setup for emergency purposes. You will never know when they might come in handy.
External consultancy: Have the WAN tested and certified by some reputable external consultants.
Do’s
Have more than one mode of communication for every business unit. Implement direct lines, mobiles and e-mail access for all necessary areas.
Select communications systems and services from different service providers instead of all from one provider. In the event of failure by one, the other channel can be used.
Ensure your communication links, cables, connections, etc, are secure and tamper-proof.
Don’ts
Buy all communication services from a single service provider.