Fifteen years ago, when we asked institutions connected to Belnet if an interruption in their connectivity would cause a problem, we were often told that a few hours without internet would not cause major problems. As internet usage increased over time, tolerance for interruptions was reduced and was limited to weekends, holidays and more generally to times outside of office hours.
Today, things have changed. The dependence on connectivity has only increased and the slightest disruption, any day or time, is no longer acceptable either to ensure the continuity of its services or the availability for its end users.
In order to be able to best advise the Belnet community on the best way to ensure maximum availability, Nicolas Kharkevitch, technical advisor, looked at the different ways in which institutions are connected to Belnet.
Indeed, although redundancy is the best guarantee against connectivity interruptions, there is no single solution and the best recommendation depends on how the institutions connect to the Belnet network.
State of play today:
A single connection to BelnetInstitutions with a single site and a single connection to the Belnet network are the most at risk. Any incident can interrupt their connectivity. Likewise, any planned intervention on our network may result in their connection being cut.
Only one connection per siteInstitutions with several sites with only one connection to Belnet per site are also at risk, but in this case it is important to determine whether all the sites are of the same importance or if only certain sites should have more guarantees against an interruption.
Partially redundant connectionTwo scenarios:
- Institutions connected via several lines on a single PoP see the risk of interruption reduced in the event of an incident on a single device, but this is not sufficient if a major incident occurs on the Belnet backbone.
- Institutions with more than one connected site, some with a redundant connection, but not all of them may see their remote sites experience temporary service disruption.
Institutions with either two lines to two different PoPs or connections between each of their sites are the ones that minimize the risk of disruption.
Whatever the scenario in which your institution finds itself, Belnet can offer you a redundancy solution adapted to your situation. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Because, as Nicolas Kharkevitch points out: "Today, if the essential functions of an institution depend on the Internet connection, this service cannot afford the presence of a" SPOF "(Single Point Of Failure)"
Would you like advice on ensuring the redundancy of your connection to the Belnet network?