What is High Availability and Why Does it Matter?
Critical Cases Where a Robust Network Makes the Difference
Retail Outages
During a high-traffic event like Black Friday, a well-known online retail chain experienced an overload on its application servers. Thanks to its distributed network architecture and intelligent load balancers, traffic was automatically redirected to secondary data centers, maintaining operations active with no visible downtime for users. A less-prepared competitor suffered a 6-hour outage and lost over $2 million in revenue.
Cyberattack on a Financial Institution
A banking institution was targeted by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Its network was equipped with mitigation systems and next-generation firewalls. Malicious traffic was filtered in real time, and banking services remained uninterrupted. This was critical for maintaining customer trust and avoiding regulatory penalties.
Natural Disaster Affecting Critical Infrastructure
Strategies to Ensure Connectivity and Guarantee Continuity
1. Link Redundancy and Route Diversity
Having multiple connections isn’t enough — they must be protected and follow diverse physical paths. A sound strategy involves contracting redundant services with one provider, ensuring the use of independent routes. This eliminates single points of failure without compromising operational simplicity.
2. Network Segmentation and Security
Micro-segmentation and smart firewalls help contain incidents without affecting the entire network.
3. Monitoring and Agile Response
A robust network includes tools for continuous monitoring and automatic response to anomalies.
4. Cloud and Edge Computing
Decentralizing services through cloud and edge computing reduces reliance on a single physical location. Direct connections to the cloud allow access to cloud resources as if they were part of the same network.
5. Contingency Planning
Technology alone is useless without an incident response plan. Regular drills and audits are critical to ensure preparedness in a crisis.
Conclusion
Business resilience is no longer just about having good insurance or internal protocols. Today, operational continuity largely depends on the strength of your connectivity infrastructure. Companies that invest in robust, secure, and flexible networks are better prepared to face any scenario, from unexpected traffic surges to cyber threats or extreme weather events.
Contact Flō Networks to find out how we can be your connectivity partner for uninterrupted connections. Join the growing community of organizations in the United States, Mexico, and Latin America that rely on us to keep their operations connected seamlessly.
