Failover

Failover can happen at several layers: a second internet connection that takes over when the fiber is cut, a cellular backup on the firewall or SD-WAN device, a phone platform that forwards calls to mobile apps when the office is unreachable, a second power supply in a switch, or a second camera recorder. Each layer protects against a different failure.

For a growing business the question is what has to keep working: taking calls and payments usually comes first, then access to cloud systems, then everything else. Failover is also cheaper than it sounds, because the backup can be slower and used only in emergencies, and because cloud phone systems already fail over to mobile apps if configured.

Ask how long failover takes and whether calls in progress survive, what bandwidth the backup provides and what it costs when used, how you are alerted when a failover happens, and how often it is tested. Ask your phone provider what callers hear during an outage. An untested failover is a hope, not a plan.