How to ensure business continuity in times of COVID-19

IXP traffic peaks by country in the period from September 2019 to March 2020.

Source: OECD based on data from Packet Clearing House .

While network operators and content providers were able to successfully maintain their services using their existing capacity, the crisis makes one thing clear: additional measures must be taken in the short term to improve network stability and resilience, and reduce the digital divide.

To better understand how exposed business continuity is in terms of Internet connection, we recommend that you analyze the following aspects:

• What type of connection are we hiring, the technical and operational track record of our provider.

• What is the technological infrastructure of your service provider.

• What are the main differences between the different types of connection they offer. At this point it is essential to analyze each one and compare.

• What contract do our suppliers offer in terms of times and deadlines.

• What SLAs ( Service Level Agreements ) they offer. That is, the levels of services that they promise us.

• As far as possible, have access to a market benchmark.

Remote work: adapting to the new work normality

Let’s see some aspects to keep in mind:

• Preparing for remote work, now and in the future: This means continuing to scale and expand connectivity and collaboration platforms, including  video conferencing  and project management tools for employees to connect and work remotely. At the same time, this also means training the workforce and communicating best practices and ideal use cases.

• Ensuring infrastructure for remote work: Ensuring adequate infrastructure requires profound security changes, structural adjustments, and significant investment. It also requires the commitment of all employees to safely navigate their work tools.

• Use the right tools for a good migration: When choosing the tools to implement remote work, it is important to first look at what is already available on the market. There are effective solutions that companies can install that contain all the necessary functionalities. At this point, it is important to consider the needs of the company. Every business culture is different and you may need different tools to maintain a high level of productivity . The next step is to train employees, listen to feedback, and improve where necessary.

Security: the elephant in the room

Probably one of the most serious indirect consequences of the pandemic in the digital world was the significant increase in computer security threats and attacks from phishing, malware and ransomware.

Although even before the crisis, SMEs were increasingly targeted by cyberattacks due to the lack of comprehensive security solutions, it is estimated that currently phishing attacks reached their highest level in the last three years . Added to this, the adoption of remote working on a large scale and the increased use of online services exacerbated the risks.