If data connection is down, business halts. How to prevent it?

Recently, Lufthansa was forced to cancel the flights of thousands of passengers after construction workers had accidentally cut a communication cable critical for the company’s IT systems. The five-metre-deep route seemed to be well protected from external threats and, unfortunately, the communication links were also unduplicated. It is difficult to overemphasise the role of data connection in today’s society. If the data connection is not working properly, even a small disturbance can cause significant problems. Sometimes this simply means a missed business opportunity, but there are sectors such as aviation, maritime, or rescue, where the damage can be very significant.

Ove Ant. Photo by Andres Oolberg

In fact, communications services affect a very wide section of society. ‘It may seem that shoemakers or hairdressers, for example, don’t need the data connection network to do their job. But in reality, their customers also want to pay by card,’ explains Ove Ant, who is responsible for the connectivit area of Greenergy Data Centers, one of the best connected points in the Baltics.

Network of networks

A modern communications network is a network of interconnected networks. Apart from the defence forces, the police and a few other public institutions, they are mainly set up by commercial companies. In addition, there is an extensive academic data connection network connecting a total of 50 million users across Europe and around 10,000 institutions (including supercomputing centers).

If we focus on business networks, they are predominantly mobile and cable networks in urban areas between residential and commercial buildings, and data centers. The most widely used technology is based on fibre optics, because of its higher capacity and stability, but coaxial and copper cable networks from the past are still in use here and there, and are gradually being replaced due to pressure from competitors. Networks are created and developed on an economic basis: where there is demand, there will be providers. Mobile networks are a good example.

Connections that link or cross various countries are somewhat more complicated. Cooperation between state enterprises and the private sector is key there. ‘Setting up international networks is costly, often driven by state enterprises, and has to take into account the business culture of different countries,’ explains Ant.

Submarine cables are probably the most complex out of international connections, and their installation is preceded by thorough environmental studies. ‘For example, there are five submarine cables linking Estonia and our northern neighbour Finland, and new ones are not likely to be established,’ he says.

In addition to the seabed, long-haul optical cables run along the earthing cables of high-voltage lines, as well as alongside railways and roads. For example, Rail Baltic is currently being constructed, and this is a great opportunity to create a new communications network, because excavation and construction work will be done anyway. The availability of such networks for businesses in Estonia and further will ultimately depend on the owner or owners of the infrastructure, if investments are made in partnership. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

Communication channels must be duplicated

‘Looking at the very big picture, the value of communications networks lies in their amount and interconnectivity. For example, multiple interconnected networks enabling data connection from here to Central Europe, create significant added value,’ Ant illustrates. The different networks are usually connected by larger and smaller data centers, creating a reliable and secure communication ecosystem.

In addition to coverage, redundancy is critical in the context of a data connection network (here it is worth recalling the Lufthansa example at the beginning of the article). Sometimes the communication channel has to be interrupted due to maintenance work on technical equipment, sometimes there are unexpected errors due to failures or accidents.

Redundant connectivity allows the impact of such situations on the communication to be reduced. If data traffic is blocked on one route, the second or third route is automatically activated. ‘Here, in turn, it must be borne in mind that the routes must also be physically separate. If, for example, there are cables from two different communications service providers by the same road in the same communication line, it is quite likely that if something happens to one of them, the other will be out of order as well,’ says Ant.

The solution, he says, is to ask from different communications service providers about their data connection’s technical solutions and whether there are overlaps that could jeopardise the user’s business. Maps showing the location of routes and cables are certainly available for service providers. If such overlaps occur, it is worth considering finding an alternative provider to deliver the bits and bytes to the destination via a different route.

Challenges for office buildings

One of the biggest challenges in communications is the lack of alternative communications service providers, and hence competition, in commercial buildings. Often, this situation only arises after a period of time, when a company wants to change its current partner for whatever reason. In order to avoid this kind of vendor lock and to ensure freedom of choice in the future, it is worth asking for different offers right in the beginning and focusing on both economic and technical nuances. That way you know right away that, for example, only one company’s cables will be put into the office building and the company operating there essentially has no choice.

‘Actually, there is a way out of this situation. If it is not feasible to establish a second connection with fibre optics, the alternative is a radio link. This will provide not only a route but also technological duplication,’ Ant suggests.

Three recommendations

Overall, three main points could be focused on in terms of reliability, freedom of choice and cost-effectiveness.

• Competition usually ensures higher reliability and better prices. Check that you have an option to choose between service providers for the communications solution you plan to use.

• Data connections should be duplicated. If there are not two cable service providers in the commercial building, you could look into setting up a second connection, for example via a radio link through the roof.

• Avoid very strong technical ties with a single provider. The deeper the link at a technical level, the more difficult and expensive it is to change partners. The provider knows this and the emergence of such a link may not be accidental.

‘It is said that an IT manager’s restful sleep is inversely proportional to CFO’s grey hair. However, by thinking through all the details, you can create a solution that covers business and technology needs and mitigates risk, significantly reducing stress for both the CFO and IT manager,’ Ant concludes.