Internet outages and disruption of digital and cloud services are not good. Particularly for remote workers, telecommuters and digital nomads. Online services can be disrupted by natural disasters, faulty operating systems updates and even criminal extortion. These unplanned events can put remote team leaders and remote managers in a quandary.
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They ask themselves, “How can I ensure remote work productivity during internet service disruptions? Is this a threat for which I need to plan to mitigate?”
Remote managers need to develop business continuity plans (BCPs)
Crowdstrike in its 2024 Global Threat Report calculated a “ 76% increase in the number of victims named on BGH (Big Game Hunting) dedicated leak sites (DLSs) between 2022 and 2023.” The threat to global information systems is so widespread that 47% of the respondents expect an increase in their business continuity budgets in the next year.
Remote BCPs are needed: There are 10 to 20 internet blackouts annually
Worst still are the negative impacts on productivity for small and mid-sized companies. Depending upon the source its estimated there are 10 to 20 internet blackouts annually.
60%-80% Info Tech and Data Center Managers experienced outages
In fact, 60% to 80% of information technology managers and managers of data centers have experienced an outage in their company in the past three years, reports Uptown Institute.
Internet outages cost $26.3 million per 10 million inhabitants per day
On a macroeconomic level, Deloitte estimates internet outages in highly developed countries can cost about $23.6 million per 10 million population per day. For countries operating with less internet connectivity, the cost of an internet disruption of service can be between $600,000 to $6.6 million per 10 million population (2016).
Major disruptions of services are pretty common place. So much so that only 9% of Chief Information Officers report to have ever avoided an outage (Digi Research).
Small businesses lost $40 billion worth of productivity due to disruptions
Not to put CIOs on the spot. But it looks like service interruptions are here to stay. And they are costly occurrences. On the microeconomic level, Independence Research estimated small business in the US lost about $40 billion worth of production due to internet disruptions in 2020. The direst prospects are for businesses without back-up systems in place prior to the disruption. These businesses stand to lose about $22 billion in productivity or roughly $4,500 per year per company.
Remote BCPs needed: Cloud storage market was $99.2 billion in 2023
The seduction of free cloud storage, services and systems have led to a global cloud storage market to reach $99.2 billion in 2023, reports Markets and Markets. So if there is one suggestion to take from this article is this. Back up your data to physical storage often.
Remote BCPs needed: Internet disruptions pose grave risk to remote work
We would be remiss to suggest the adoption of fully processing of information manually. Reliance upon internet connectivity, cloud-based services and storage are the mainstay for anyone holding a remote job. Telecommuters routinely access and use operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and/or Linux. These systems are then synced to other Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, or Chromebook mobile devices.
Remote BCPs needed: Remote job tasks reliant upon technology and tools
To complete remote job functions, telecommuters depend upon a wide array of tools (software) to get our work done, to communicate, and to stay organized. Basically, we want to perform at the highest levels; as if we were situated in a traditional in office setting.
This involves transferring work folders and files, sharing screens, managing projects, communicating with work colleagues, scheduling and monitoring remote job tasks, printing documents, and more.
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Oops. Remote work has become commonplace. Its not even as glamourous as before. Virtual tools are routinely interwoven into our personal and professional daily lives. Technological innovations announced daily are the norm. We ponder in amazement, what did I do without all of these digital accouterments?
Remote work, internet outages, and business continuity planning (BCP)
Temporary lack of access to the internet and internal corporate networks should not automatically lead to long term reductions in output. Astute Chief Remote Officers, Remote Team Leads and Remote Mangers should maintain business continuity plans (BCP) just for these unplanned occurrences. Follow the lead of the business continuity planning advocates. Take a sheet out of their corporate risk mitigation playbook. There is no need to re-invent the wheel. Why?
Small remote employers look to multinational BCP for best practices
When thinking about internet blackouts and interruptions of services, large corporations have a solution. They ask themselves, what would we do (as an organization) in the event that internet reliant services are unavailable?
Large multinational companies have a whole teams and department dedicated to business continuity. The Disaster Recovery Journal and Forrester Research in their annual surveys found 96% Business Continuity Operations report receiving full sponsorship and support at the highest executive levels of the company. Almost one quarter report to the Chief Risk Officer; one fifth, the Chief Information Officer; more than one- tenth to the Chief Information Security Officer; one tenth to the Chief Executive Officer; another one tenth to the Chief Finance Officer; with the remaining reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, HR Officer, and Head of Safety and Security.
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You would think that only large companies invest in business continuity programs. But, it isn’t so. Survey respondents represent a wide swath of entities operating around the globe. Almost evenly distributed between 1 to 999 employees (27%); 1,000 to 4,999 employees (27%), 5,000 to 19,999 employees (29%); and 20,000 or more employees (17%).
If you are reading this article you want the answer to the question, “How can I maintain remote work productivity in the midst of an internet or cloud service outage?”
Tips for remote managers and remote team leads can create BCPs for their remote staff
Here are a few tips remote managers can use for creating their own business continuity plan for their remote staff.
- Supply physical hard drive units, encrypted USBs for remote staff to periodically back up critical files
- Create back up storage schedule for remote staff
- Maintain a standard file and folder nomenclature so that nonauthors can find essential folders and files with ease
- Maintain a living list of essential documents and location (primary storage, Cloud, location, ie “name” folder) to be regularly backed-up (secondary storage, encrypted USB, physical location)
- Keep duplicate copies of essential documents on a physical drive with list (public files, department file server, restricted files, files on individual remote staff computers)
- Consider directing staff to unplug or turn off essential equipment when not in use
- Direct home-based staff to utilize power surge protectors
- Maintain a contact call tree
- Inform remote staff of hierarchical chain of command and situations requiring escalation
- Equip team members with two-way radios or satellite phone
- Establish satellite and/or two way radio channels and points of contact
- Upon first notice of internet service disruption of service, contact remote staff by fixed, satellite, mobile or two way radio
- Identify alterative report to work location in the event outage is localized and circumstances surrounding change of venue
- Obtain status report (what services and remote job tasks are impacted, what resources (people, places, things) are needed to get remote jobs done, what remote job tasks can be done without internet service)
- Color code impacted tasks (stopping- Red), unimpacted tasks (continuing- Green)
- Identify alternate working strategy for all remote job tasks color-coded Red
- Virtual team meeting à phone and/or in person meeting
- Project scheduling and management à offline monitoring and supervision
- Document sharing à Facsimile, courier
- Establish at regular time intervals (hourly) remote staff check ins
After recovery of internet service, remote managers should
- Meet with staff (virtually or in person)
- Obtain after action report
- Conduct a remote job function analysis, review deliverables (continued work product, color coded Blue; stopped work product, color coded Red)
- Refer to status reports to identify business processes (apps) and remote job functions that fully stopped
- Establish a work around
- Refer to status reports to identify business processes (apps) and remote job functions that continued unimpeded
- Score work around based upon effectiveness
- Use ranking model to ensure tactics with highest scores are used in future
- Develop business continuity plan based upon information collected and recorded experiences
- Ensure remote staff are familiar with all aspects of the corporate continuity plan and the BCP specifically designed for remote staff
- Share the draft remote staff business continuity plan upstream
- Make modifications based upon input from senior (in person) leadership
- Ensure both in person and remote work BCPs are seamless and thorough
- Include BCPs in employee handbook
- Include BCPs in orientation and staff training
- Review BCPs annually
