Telecoms links are the arteries that pump the life blood of IT data and communications around every company. Cut one link and business suffers. Cut many or all of them and the company grinds to a halt. A business cannot exist without its telecoms links.
Not having a Disaster Recovery plan in place is a big risk. Accidents happen out of the blue and disaster is not limited to fire or flood but could result even from a careless spill of coffee. You need a recovery plan that is well thought out, has been trialed and tested, and is ready to go at the click of a mouse.
Using A 3rd Party DR Facility
It is surprisingly cheap and cost effective to put a Telecoms DR plan in place with a 3rd party specialist supplier like GPS Telecoms. The monthly fee is minimal and costs do not begin to accrue until and unless you have to utilise the plan. It is advisable to have a Telecoms DR plan in place and test it for failover at least twice a year.
Assessing Existing Infrastructure and Facilities – Are They Best Suited To DR?
When considering recovery plan options, there are a few to choose from. Switching to a Fibre Ethernet Circuit with ADSL Failover from another supplier is one example. Another possibility could be moving your phone system to the cloud. Good DR planning is not just limited to contingency but can take a holistic view.
Elements Of A Robust Telecoms DR Plan
Recovering external communications links is just one part of a comprehensive plan that would usually cover a wide range of contingency measures, from temporary office facilities to the communications plan appropriate for the level of disruption.
Elements To Consider and Plan For Include:
- Internet access – This is probably the single biggest risk because most business communications are internet-based. So it’s not just access to the company’s network, applications and data that would be at risk – the entire workings of a company can be disrupted if internet access disappears. Having a backup Internet access plan should be the first item on the DR agenda.
- Phone lines and phone system – Although requiring separate actions in the Telecoms DR plan, these two areas go hand in hand in providing basic communication with customers and suppliers alike.
- IT systems and network – For many organisations, this is the core of DR planning. Your recovery plan needs to consider how any recovery options can be integrated into the existing infrastructure to make failover as seamless as possible.
Put Your Disaster Recovery Plan In Place Today
Explore the latest Telecoms DR options and keep your business protected. Call us on 03330 093 677 today and speak with one of our Telecoms engineers, who will be happy to discuss your specific areas of concern.
