UC
Last week in an attempt to disrupt pro-democracy protests the Egyptian government shut down most Internet access in and out of the country. This unprecedented move doesn’t seem to have done much to quell the protests, but it has wreaked havoc for companies operating in the country. Initially the government’s action protected Noor Group (the ISP of choice of the largest multinationals and the Egyptian stock exchange), but by Monday Renesys, a company that tracks global Internet performance, reported that even Noor had disappeared from the Internet.
Egypt’s moves highlight the need for companies with operations in potential hot-spots to create and test a backup plan. A variety of options exist to mitigate risk, such as satellite-based communications, or using private WAN services to backhaul Internet traffic to an alternative location. While these options will preserve access to office locations and corporate users, they are of little use for customers relying on public-facing web sites. Options to enable your customers to still reach your services include good-old dial-backup, and voice/SMS services. Google even announced a tweet-to-voice service as yet another means of enabling Egyptians to stay connected to the rest of the world.
IT managers responsible for global services should make sure their backup plans include multiple options for both employees and customers regardless of global location.
