Every Business Needs a Plan B. Some Just Need It More Than Others

At one time or another, every business owner thinks about what might happen if primary telecommunications facilities were disrupted or become generally unreliable. Many managers who have experienced such events take steps to ensure non-recurrence, such as using backup carriers and networks. Unfortunately, many of these plans turn out to have the same Achilles heel, meaning very little if any additional protection has been obtained.

We've had clients who thought they were adequately protected by having two suppliers. It always makes sense to use multiple suppliers so that if one is performing poorly, traffic can be shifted to another. It's a good, basic Plan B. However, in most buildings, all telecommunications facilities are located in the same area, so if that area is damaged by fire or water, all facilities are equally at risk, and nothing is gained.

Some clients have taken the extra step of running separate feeds from different suppliers into different parts of a building. This affords greater protection, but it's also happened that some distance off, the separate feeds had the same route to the client – and a backhoe pulled up the cable(s) before the feeds diverged – with obviously disastrous results. Did the client need a plan C? Perhaps, but at least having a plan B offers greater safety than a single plan A.

Teleconvergence always attempts to incorporate a Plan B into all our recommendations. We also help our clients decide what they will do when Plan B also fails, as it inevitably will.  How prepared are you? Can you use our help?

A really good plan to answer these questions starts by calling us. 503.750.2144