Vertiv, a provider of equipment and services for data centers, recognizes the challenges internet service providers (ISPs) face to ensure uninterrupted connectivity.

“Internet service providers bear the huge responsibility of spearheading the prevention of infrastructure downtime and ensuring uninterrupted services for their consumers,” said Jason Lim, country manager at Vertiv Philippines. “But that does not mean these repeated cases of internet interruption and outages will persist. It is high time for ISPs to address this growing concern before it becomes detrimental to users and their services.”

To fortify the network against disruptions and future-proof their infrastructure, Vertiv shares some key measures that ISPs can consider implementing: 

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1. Create proactive capacity planning

ISPs must ensure their networks can handle the growing bandwidth demand. Conducting network capacity planning allows ISPs to assess network utilization, identify performance chokepoints, and manage traffic volumes effectively. This ensures service availability for end-users and decreases degraded network performance. 

2. Proper planning for maintenance and updates

ISPs cannot avoid conducting service updates and scheduled maintenance to keep their infrastructure up-to-date and provide the best solutions to users. However, they can plan the maintenance effectively and should not affect the network’s reliability. ISPs should also provide transparency reports to end-users and strive to complete all maintenance activities within the given timeframe. 

3. Scale up data centers to accommodate growing demand

Scaling up data centers is essential for ISPs to minimize infrastructure downtime. This involves expanding data center capacity and capabilities to meet the growing storage, processing power, and connection demands. Scaling up allows ISPs to accommodate the increasing data traffic, enhance redundancy for better backup, improve cooling and power infrastructure, upgrade connectivity, and embrace advanced technologies. 

4. Prepare a robust disaster recovery plan

Unforeseen disasters, such as natural calamities or cyber-attacks, can severely impact an ISP’s infrastructure. While ISPs cannot avoid them entirely, they can prevent such events from affecting their operations by having a solid disaster recovery (DR) plan. Internet providers should invest in reliable software, hardware, and third-party services to maintain infrastructure uptime.  

Vertiv said ISPs can address the issue of internet interruption and outages by implementing these proactive measures. The demand for faster speeds and seamless connectivity continues to escalate, and ISPs must rise to the challenge. Failure to do so affects consumer satisfaction and impedes progress in all industries.