UK broadband providers have had a steady run of regional outages, some lasting most of a day. Ten years ago that meant no email. Today it means no phones, no files, no card payments and no access to the systems that run the business.
What resilience actually costs
Less than most people think, and there are three sensible tiers:
- Mobile tethering plan. Free. Works for a couple of people for a couple of hours. Not a real answer for an office.
- A 4G/5G backup router with automatic failover. A modest monthly cost, switches over on its own, and keeps phones and card payments alive. This is the right answer for most small offices.
- A second fixed line from a different network — usually a different physical route as well. Right for businesses where downtime is genuinely expensive.
Things worth checking
- Does your phone system fail over to mobiles automatically? Hosted systems usually can, but it needs configuring in advance.
- Do your staff know the failover exists, or will they all go home?
- Is your backup connection actually on a different network, or is it the same Openreach cable with a different logo?
We supply failover connectivity through Ark Connect and can test it properly rather than hoping it works on the day.