Short answer
Add a second internet connection from a different provider and let your firewall switch to it automatically. Set up Microsoft 365 so people can keep working from files and email stored on their computers. Put your modem, firewall and network switches on battery backup. Then write a one-page plan so everyone knows what to do when the connection drops.
Why one internet connection is a single point of failure
On July 8, 2022, a Rogers network failure cut service to more than 12 million customers, including corporate customers and institutions that provide electronic payment services, according to the independent assessment published by the CRTC (CRTC: Assessment of Rogers Networks Following the 8 July 2022 Outage).
The report explains that Rogers runs its wireless and wireline networks through a common IP core network. When the core routers failed, mobile, Internet and business wireline services stopped together, so a Rogers phone could not stand in for a Rogers office connection. A backup only protects you if it does not share the failure.
Rogers had not given its own network operation centre redundant connectivity from alternative providers, and one of the report's recommendations is secure backup connectivity from third-party network operators. The same lesson applies to a small office: your backup line should come from a different company.
Since September 9, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding on Telecommunications Reliability, published by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, has set protocols for emergency roaming, mutual assistance and communication to the public during a critical network failure (ISED: Memorandum of Understanding on Telecommunications Reliability). It covers how carriers support each other. It is not a backup plan for your business.
Your options for a backup internet connection
- A second wired line from a different provider. For example, fibre from one company and cable from another. Ask each provider how their line reaches your building, since two lines in the same trench can be cut together.
- A cellular (LTE or 5G) backup. A small cellular router, or a firewall with a SIM card slot, keeps the office online over a mobile network. Choose a carrier other than your main internet provider.
- Satellite internet. In rural areas where a second wired line is not available, satellite service can act as the backup connection.
- A phone hotspot. Fine for one or two laptops in an emergency, but not for a whole office, phones and card terminals.
The piece that ties it together is automatic failover. A business firewall with two internet ports (often called dual WAN) watches the main line and moves traffic to the backup when the main line stops responding, then moves it back when service returns. Without it, someone has to notice the outage and switch cables by hand. Test the failover a few times a year by unplugging the main line during a quiet hour.
Keep working in Microsoft 365 while you are offline
A backup line keeps you connected. The settings below keep people productive for the minutes or hours before it kicks in, or if both connections fail.
- Email in classic Outlook. Turn on Cached Exchange Mode, which lets people work with their Microsoft 365 mailbox even when the network connection is slow or unavailable. By default it keeps 12 months of email on the computer, and Microsoft recommends always using it with a Microsoft 365 mailbox (Microsoft: Turn on Cached Exchange Mode).
- Email in new Outlook for Windows. Offline access is on by default. People can read and search email, view calendars, write replies, and send new messages to the Outbox while offline (Microsoft: How to work offline in Outlook for Windows).
- Files in OneDrive and SharePoint. New files from the cloud are online-only by default, so they cannot be opened during an outage. Right-click the folders people need every day and select Always keep on this device (Microsoft: Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand).
- Word, Excel and the other desktop apps. They do not need a constant connection. They only need to connect at least once every 30 days to check the subscription, so an outage of a few days does not stop them (Microsoft: About Microsoft 365 Apps in the enterprise).
- Teams calls and meetings, and any app that runs only in a web browser, need a connection. During an outage, people can join from the Teams mobile app over their phone's data plan.
Phones, payments and the other things that stop
Make a list of every system that needs the internet, then decide what happens to each one when it is down.
- Phones. If your office phones run over the internet (VoIP), ask your phone provider whether calls can forward to mobile numbers automatically when the office goes offline.
- Card payments. The CRTC report notes that electronic payment services were among those affected in 2022. Ask your payment processor whether your terminals can switch to a cellular connection, and write down what staff should do if they cannot take cards.
- Cloud business apps. Accounting, scheduling, customer and point-of-sale systems often run online. Find out which ones keep working offline and which do not.
- In-store music, cameras and door access. Check with each provider whether the service keeps working without an internet connection.
Factories and production lines
For a manufacturer, the question is not only "how do we stay online?" but "does the line keep running?" Design the plant so production does not depend on the internet:
- Keep the systems that run the line, such as machine controls, shop floor terminals and label printers, working on the local network, so losing the internet does not stop them.
- Know which steps rely on cloud services, such as ERP updates or online order entry, and decide how orders, shipping and time tracking continue until the connection returns.
- Keep the current day's work orders, drawings and pick lists available on site, not only in a cloud app.
shawcsIT's IT support for manufacturing includes redundant network connections, UPS power protection and monitored server environments, designed to minimize unplanned downtime.
Do not forget power
If the power goes out, your internet goes with it unless your modem, firewall, network switches and Wi-Fi access points are on an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). A UPS sized for your network equipment keeps the office connected through short power cuts and gives servers time to shut down safely in longer ones. Our business continuity service includes UPS and power protection guidance.
Write a one-page outage plan
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security advises organizations to identify its critical functions, applications and data, and to run through specific scenarios, such as a significant power outage, when building an IT recovery plan. It also suggests engaging managed service providers where they can help (Cyber Centre: Developing your IT recovery plan). For an internet outage, your page should answer:
- Who calls the internet provider, and where is the account number and support line written down?
- Does the backup connection switch over on its own, and how will you confirm it did?
- How will staff, customers and suppliers be told, for example by text message or a social media post?
- Which work continues offline, and which work waits?
- At what point do people work from home or another location instead?
Keep your backups in the plan too. The Cyber Centre recommends the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of your information, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy kept off site, and testing your backups to make sure they work (Cyber Centre: Tips for backing up your information). Read why Microsoft 365 backup is not optional for the gaps in Microsoft's own retention.
How shawcsIT helps
Our IT support team works directly with your internet provider, phone vendor and software companies so you do not have to. Our business continuity service documents your critical systems, sets recovery time and recovery point objectives, and builds a step-by-step recovery plan your team can follow, with backup verification and recovery testing.
Not sure what would stop if your internet went down tomorrow? We have helped Ontario businesses with their technology since 1983. Call 705-742-2204 or schedule a free consultation and we will review your setup.
FAQ
What are my options for keeping my business online during an outage?
The main options are a second wired line from a different provider, a cellular (LTE or 5G) backup, or satellite internet where wired options are limited. A firewall with automatic failover switches between them for you. Add battery backup for your network equipment and offline settings in Microsoft 365 so work continues during the switch.
Will a cellular backup work if my main provider goes down?
Only if it does not share the failure. In the July 2022 Rogers outage, wireless and wireline services ran through a common core network and failed together. Use a cellular backup from a different carrier than your main internet provider.
Is cloud backup reliable during an internet outage?
Your data in the cloud stays where it is, but you cannot reach it until you are back online, and new changes cannot be copied off site until the connection returns. That is why the Cyber Centre recommends the 3-2-1 rule, with copies on two different media types, and regular restore tests.
How do factories keep production running during an internet outage?
By keeping the systems that run the line on the local network, so they do not depend on the internet, and by planning how cloud-based steps such as ERP updates and order entry continue until service returns. A redundant internet connection and UPS power protection cover the rest.
Sources
- Assessment of Rogers Networks for Resiliency and Reliability Following the 8 July 2022 Outage, Executive Summary (CRTC, report by Xona Partners, July 2024)
- Memorandum of Understanding on Telecommunications Reliability (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada)
- Turn on Cached Exchange Mode (Microsoft Support)
- How to work offline in Outlook for Windows (Microsoft Support)
- Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand for Windows (Microsoft Support)
- About Microsoft 365 Apps in the enterprise (Microsoft Learn)
- Developing your IT recovery plan (ITSAP.40.004) (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security)
- Tips for backing up your information (ITSAP.40.002) (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security)