December 10, 1998 Web posted at: 11:00 AM EST by Fred McClimans, Network World Fusion columnist

From...

(IDG) -- Here's an easy quiz for all you techno-quizsters out there with nothing better to do....

1. How do you make a phone call when the phone is dead?

2. How do you send e-mail when the e-mail server is dead?

3. How do your customers access your Web site when your Web server is down?

The answers are (in no particular order) "You don't," "You don't," and "You don't." This is unfortunate since these things can happen - often at the same time - and that can cost your business money in terms of lost sales.

As the technology craze has swept through the business community, and as the Internet has become an essential component of most successful companies today, it is not uncommon to find ourselves increasingly dependent upon a set of technologies that have two things in common. First, they are extremely likely to be so significant to our normal course of business that we can't survive without them (at least on a daily basis). And second, they are extremely likely to fail.

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And just like the old axiom "when it rains it pours" - or perhaps more like "trouble always comes in three's" - we find that technologies never seem to fail by themselves. Rather, they always seem to fail in two's or three's.

In fact, it often seems like the most common time for a component to fail is when some other component has already failed. Of course, we know that this can't really be the case all the time since there is always a "first" component to fail. But it happens often enough that the perception has become reality, the myth become legend (how many times have you heard of a primary system failing when the backup system is off line?).

Some of these failures are totally beyond our control.

Others, however, we seem to ask for. For example, it is very common for organizations to use a single access circuit (like a T1) for both its voice and data communications. As a result, when the circuit fails both voice and data are lost. The implications are serious. If the data connection is important (for example, the firm's Web server that is used to deliver products and services) you need to contact your customers to inform them of the outage. But you can't call, because the line is dead. And you can't send e-mail, because the line is dead.

So you run to the fax line (which is usually an "outside" line) only to find that your fax machine has extremely limited functionality (possibly no handset). So rather than wait in line behind the mass of people who have not yet figured out that the fax is not quite functional to their needs, you run down the hall to find a spare cellular phone, which you find has limited coverage in the middle of a 10-story building. So you run to the street to make your important calls.

All of a sudden you realize you can't make your calls because you left your Palm Pilot (with all of your phone numbers) back up on the 5th floor, which is probably an OK thing since your cell phone is now competing for cell access with every other cell user in the building who just lost their main phone lines.

So what can you do to prevent all of this from happening if you depend equally on both the phone and the Internet to satisfy your customers? Fortunately, there are some very basic steps you can take to ensure that you are not left out in the cold.

First, don't ever use the same access line for both voice and data. Sure it can be tempting from a price perspective, but if your access line fails both voice and data are lost. If it is not cost feasible to have independent lines, then you should consider having more than a single outside line for the fax machine. A good rule of thumb is to have a single outside line for each major department (especially sales, marketing and product support).

Second, invest in cellular phones, especially the cheap ones. When a phone outage occurs a cellular phone can be a lifesaver.

Third, set up a back-up access method for e-mail that allows your e-mail server to be accessible (perhaps via a dial-up connection). This will be essential in the event that you need to notify customers that your main Web site is inaccessible. If this is not feasible, then set up a separate Internet account (choose your cheapest local dial-up ISP) and have in place a system to send a bulk e-mail.

Fourth, invest in off-site servers. This is probably the most extreme fix, but it can be the most beneficial. There are lots of ISPs and Web hosting firms that have gone to great extremes to provide redundant Internet connection with power and security systems that ensure that your servers (e-mail or Web) are online 24 x 7.

Finally, I would suggest that you treat phone outages (and server outages) like a major disaster and have an appropriate contingency plan in place. Too often we limit our disaster planning to major events (floods, fire, loss of power) and forget to plan for the little ones (email server crash, phone lines being cut, etc.).

This plan could be as simple as setting up a calling tree to notify others of the problem, or it could be as complex as having a backup facility agreement with the office tenant next door. The most important part of this plan is that it be well documented and can be implemented by anybody in the office. A contingency plan that is known to only the technology group is no good when the technology group is off on vacation and can't be reached because the phones are dead.

If you think you can't afford the extra expense of some of these items, just spend a little time looking at how much your down time costs in terms of lost customer revenue. I think you'll end up opting for the backup solution.

Fred McClimans is CEO of Current Analysis, Inc., a competitive intelligence and analysis firm. You can link to the Current Analysis Web site or reach Fred at fred@ currentanalysis. com