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Telecommunications Recovery
Telecommunications recovery should play a key role in recovery. After all, the telecommunication network is a critical asset and should be given a high priority for recovery. Although these communications networks can be susceptible to the same threats as data centers, they Recovery Alternatives also face some unique threats. Protection methods include redundant WAN links, bandwidth on demand, and dial backup. Whatever the choice, the organization should verify capacity requirements and acceptable outage times. The primary methods for network protection include the following:
Redundancy —This involves exceeding what is required or needed. Redundancy can be added by providing extra capacity, providing multiple routes, using dynamic routing protocols, and using fail over devices to allow for continued operations.
Diverse routing —This is the practice of routing traffic through different cable facilities. Organizations can obtain both diverse routing and alternate routing, yet the cost is not cheap. Most of these systems use facilities that are buried. These systems usually emerge through the basement and can sometimes share space with other mechanical equipment. This adds risk. Many cities have aging infrastructures, which is another probable point of failure.
Alternate routing—This is the ability to use another transmission line if the regular line is busy or unavailable. This can include using a dial-up connection in place of a dedicated connection, a cell phone instead of a land line, or microwave communication in place of a fiber connection. . Long-haul diversity—This is the practice of having different long-distance communication carriers. This recovery facility option helps ensure that service is maintained; auditors should verify that it is present.
Last-mile protection —This is a good choice for recovery facilities, in that it provides a second local loop connection and can add to security even more if an alternate carrier is used.
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