Out of the dark

When the power failed on August 14, 2003, people across the Midwest and northeast reached for their cell phones, hoping to call home. But, with call volume suddenly increasing by as much as 300 percent and transmitting towers operating with as little as four hours of backup power, the region’s cellular network couldn’t function for long. Millions of workers were suddenly unable to make calls, cutting them off not just from their coworkers, but from their friends and family as well.

“So, right at the moment when connection is critical, it becomes much harder,” said Sachin Modi, an Ohio-based business resilience expert and professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business. He explained the industries most affected by the network failure were retail businesses that relied on electronic transaction processing and companies who used cell phones to coordinate a dispersed workforce, such as home repair technicians. Today, as cell phones are woven into every aspect of modern life, loss of the cellular network would be even more challenging, disrupting businesses and creating anxiety for people eager to let their families know that they are okay.

Every business continuity plan needs provisions for cellular and wireless connectivity. AT&T has prepared for disruption by investing more than $1 billion in its Network Disaster Response program since 1992, aiming to allow customers to weather the unexpected with minimal interruption in service. For Jeff McKnight, AT&T’s AVP of Network Engineering, who oversees the NDR team, the power of the program lies in its ability to keep people connected.

When power loss or another unexpected event threatens customer service, the company’s more than 400 person NDR team harnesses 11,000 generators, hundreds of portable cell sites and a fleet of technology recovery trailers to tailor solutions for any situation. According to McKnight, AT&T has invested more than $1 billion since 1992 to “strengthen and diversify” its systems.

AT&T is working with AST SpaceMobile to one day offer a full suite of broadband connectivity: voice, data, video and text services in remote, off-grid locations. This service will allow yet another way for communities to stay connected when the unexpected strikes, such as power loss at terrestrial sites.

The larger the urban area, the harder the blackout hit. In Cleveland, the municipal water supply needed electricity to keep pumping, which meant businesses and communities didn’t just lose power — they lost water as well. Airline traffic across the country was disrupted as three of the nation’s largest airports shut down, causing delays, cancellations and anxiety for travelers and their families. Newspapers slashed their print runs, while television networks stayed on air using generators, with news anchors illustrating the scope of the blackout using paper maps instead of computer graphics. Supermarkets were forced to unload frozen stock before it melted; restaurants operated by candlelight, and sales could only be completed with cash.

With no power at their offices and no way to communicate with coworkers or clients, most people simply stayed home, unsure when or how they would get back to work. For McKnight, the point of a company’s business continuity plan is to help its people navigate that uncertainty and stay connected. He made clear that for the NDR team, that goes beyond business, the priority is helping ensure that people can reach out to their loved ones and let them know that they are okay.

Even once people connect to their friends and families, a sudden power outage can cut off essential business services that communities rely on, from supermarkets and retail stores to pharmacies and financial institutions. Much of this disruption can be avoided by preparing staff for a sudden switch to off-site work. Tiffany Janzen, a software developer and founder of technology education platform TiffinTech, recommended preparing for the unexpected by choosing a connectivity service that allows workers to connect to the cloud using mobile devices — without sacrificing the security they are used to in the office.

Even if power loss makes normal communication impossible, mass alert tools, such as AT&T’s Business Messaging, allow employers to send notifications to thousands of employees at once, providing reassurance and direction even under adverse conditions.

Ultimately, McKnight said, companies should look for tools that aim to, “Get everyone connected again after a disaster, because if we keep the community connected, then those people can make their phone calls, they can get on the internet, they can do all of those things that are somewhat normal in a very abnormal time.”

The ubiquity of cloud storage makes data loss less of a threat than it was in 2003, but without power, it can be difficult to access. To ensure continued data access, even in the face of widespread power loss, Janzen recommended assessing critical systems ahead of time, determining what must stay online and making plans to keep it running using a regularly tested, battery-powered wireless backup system.

She recommended companies outfit their networks with a failover service that automatically takes over traffic when the main wired connection is unavailable and that they equip their employees with charged mobile devices so they can stay connected to the cloud and the rest of their team.

For McKnight, the goal of every company during an emergency should be to keep its people connected with each other.

“That’s number one,” he said. “Knowing where your people are and being able to account for them. Because at the end of the day, cell towers can be fixed, buildings can be rebuilt. People are what really matter.”