Due to ever-increasing reliance on the internet, many businesses have implemented or are considering a secondary, redundant internet connection.
Connection downtime is more costly than ever.
A failover network connection is essential if your voice traffic flows through your internet connection and most of your mission-critical business applications are cloud-based.
If high availability to the internet and continuous web access is essential for your business operations, read on.
What’s Needed For A Redundant Internet Connection
A redundant internet connection requires two components:
- A secondary internet service provider that offers service to your building or campus
- A router with the right capabilities and proper software configuration
Once a redundant internet connection is set up and properly configured, your business will get the combined bandwidth of Provider #1 and Provider #2. If one connection goes down, the other will continue to work in a backup mode, and your company’s network will still be connected to the outside world.
Last Mile Disruptions
Redundancy is maximized when the last mile of a business’s two internet service providers are on divergent paths. In other words, connections from both providers enter a building or campus from different directions. A combination of fixed wireless and cable-delivered service qualifies.
Data centers are typically located in areas with divergent internet service paths. Some companies intentionally locate their business in regions with divergent paths.
Middle Mile Disruptions
Beyond the last mile, along the path of the much longer middle mile, having two internet connections protects businesses from disrupting their valuable connection to the outside world.
For underground cables, a cut by an excavator shovel is the biggest threat to internet service.
@garrettallen14 #FYP #excavationlife #excavationfails #HDD #fiberoptics ♬ Oh No – Kreepa
Moles are also known to have an appetite for fiber optic cables. Cable vandalization has occurred.
For above-ground cables, multiple factors can result in an internet outage:
- A vehicle plowing into a telephone pole
- A windstorm
- An ice storm
- A fire
- An earthquake
Several years ago, thousands of California state workers lost internet service for most of the day when a downtown Sacramento construction project clipped a fiber optic cable that supports their offices. Several public services were also affected.
With two separate “middle miles,” a business is protected from these events.
ISP Hardware or Software Problems
It’s possible that an internet service provider can have a significant technical outage. An example is the widespread Comcast DNS failure that affected large swathes of Northern California and Washington State.
Internet service providers have improved their reliability and, therefore, prevention of large-scale issues, but this does not mean that a significant hardware or software failure will not happen again.
Future geomagnetic storms could knock out internet pathways and other electronic infrastructure.
Scattered internet service disruption and degradation are commonplace, as tracked and reported on charts and heat maps by Downdetector. Minor outages are continually reported on social media.
Internet Redundancy: An Ounce of Prevention
Internet service is less expensive than ever. A second internet connection, a router with the right capabilities, and some configuration time are inexpensive insurance that protects from an event that could grind the productivity of most employees in your office to a halt.
Business customers should keep their options open by working with multiple ISPs to ensure internet connectivity.
