Backup Options for your normal internet connection
We sometimes get asked about what to do if your internet connection were to go down. This specifically regards cases where your computers are working, you have power, the system is accessible, but just your internet connection goes out for some reason.
As with all technology and electronics, your internet connection is not impervious to issues. Though they are usually rare. Wiring, routers, modems, and more all could have problems. And of course we have heard of some cases of just a connection that does not stay on constantly as it should. If you are having recurring disruptions of your high speed connection, you should definitely contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) immediately and have them look into it. Sometimes wiring can be replaced and correct these issues.
With all of this in mind, for the very rare cases when you might have a problem, there are some suggestions for a backup internet option just to keep you operating online:
For Small Organizations (Under 10K ticket/year):
1) Check on obtaining a free or very low cost dial-up option to have installed and ready to go when needed. While dial-up is slow, and we recommend having high-speed for your normal operation, the system is designed to operate efficiently over the internet and is not resource-intensive. So a dial-up temporary option can be viable for a smaller organization.
2) Mobile Phone-to-Computer Cable: buy a cable for your internet capable cell phone so it can be used as a wireless cellular modem in an emergency. Check with your cell phone company on this option.
For Mid-Sized (~10-50K tickets/year):
3) Mobile Broadband Card or device – get a wireless device from Verizon or AT&T or other provider to connect to the internet via the cellular network. (Note this is also a good option for people working in mobile locations.)
For VERY large organizations (50K + tickets/year):
4) Second Broad band Connection (Dual-WAN): large clients may find it worthwhile to invest in an entire second broadband connection (Cable, DSL, Satellite or a mobile broad band cards) for back-up purposes since they cannot afford downtime at their size.
One of the benefits of our software, as a web based system, is that you do have these options as backup, and you don't have to worry about maintaining and replacing expensive and complicated servers and other equipment.
See also Recommendation - Paper Backup for B. O. Operations for further backup recommendations.