Best practices for a more resilient IT landscape: 5 IT tips to ensure business continuity

If IT systems fail, the potential damage quickly amounts to several million dollars. “When defining a backup strategy, companies should also plan interconnectivity accordingly”, says Sudhir Kunder, Chief Business Officer at DE-CIX Interwire. How diverse IT landscapes keep businesses operational. And what IT service providers should know to interconnect applications, clouds, and enterprises more resiliently.

Supply chains falter and factories come to a standstill: If IT systems fail, according to a study by Deloitte from the year 2022, medium-sized and large companies quickly suffer an average loss of around 1.4 million US dollars – per week. “Although the most sophisticated measures and plans are no guarantee against outages, they are the only means of maintaining operations and keeping business models productive”, says Sudhir Kunder, Chief Business Officer at DE-CIX India. Companies thinking about business continuity often need to reassess the issue with regard to the entire IT landscape. What companies need to consider in their own business continuity strategy – 5 tips from Sudhir Kunder:

Tip 1 – Assessing the IT ecosystem: Identifying dependencies

Managed computing, storage, and application resources are vital for business continuity. They ensure that applications remain productive in the cloud during crises and allow for quick outsourcing of workloads if on-premises systems fail. “When defining a backup strategy, companies should assess which data, applications, and workloads are essential for smooth operations”, says Sudhir , “it’s crucial to examine the entire IT ecosystem and understand the interdependencies among services, information, and infrastructures.”

Tip 2 – Integrating classic backup methods with hybrid cloud solutions

Classic backup strategies for hot, warm, or cold data can be seamlessly integrated with cloud solutions, including hybrid and on-premise environments. Cloud adoption provides maximum availability and protection, as providers mitigate risks through redundant services mirrored across multiple locations, ensuring stability and security. “Public clouds, in particular, offer advanced technologies to defend against cyber threats”, says Sudhir.

Tip 3 – Enhancing IT resilience: Diversifying landscapes and ensuring redundancy

Building IT landscapes in a redundant and diversified manner is crucial. Companies that distribute their backup workloads across different systems and providers enhance their protection. This approach should also be applied to connectivity. “To ensure continuous exchange and synchronization of information and workloads, it is advisable to establish redundant connections between your own IT and managed IT”, Sudhir Kunder adds.

Tip 4 – Precision in connectivity planning: Beyond backup considerations

To prevent malfunctions, downtime, and technical problems, it’s essential to plan connectivity between the company and the cloud using a diversified approach. “Cloud routing services are excellent for continuously processing information and operating applications”, says Sudhir. For instance, the DE-CIX Cloud ROUTER facilitates data exchange between different cloud environments, isolated from the public Internet. Sudhir: “Software-based routing services ensure network-level interoperability, seamlessly integrating in-house and managed infrastructure.” This approach benefits hybrid IT landscapes, extending beyond just backup scenarios.

Tip 5 – Holistic support from server room to cloud: IT service provider expertise

IT service providers must guide their customers on backup strategies, including data mirroring in the cloud, landscape diversification, and redundant connectivity design. “This is especially important for small and medium-sized companies”, says Sudhir, “a comprehensive view of the entire ecosystem and technology stack, from the server room to the cloud and network connections, is essential.” To aid IT service providers with connectivity, DE-CIX has expanded its partner program to include managed service providers, systems integrators, and IT consultancies. The program offers price advantages and incentives for premium partners and includes DE-CIX’s entire portfolio. Notably, DE-CIX is the only neutral Internet Exchange operator globally to offer such a program.

“When defining a backup strategy, companies should also plan interconnectivity accordingly”, says Sudhir Kunder. Those who are negligent here end up paying the price. An immature back-up strategy cost Maersk up to 300 million US dollars in 2017. A ransomware attack had put the IT systems of the shipping company out of action at the time. “With software and IT playing a significant role in value creation, comprehensive business continuity strategies are essential”, Sudhir adds. Moreover, companies should consistently assess the effectiveness of their implemented measures. “Not only to improve the resilience of the IT landscape”, says Sudhir Kunder, “but to keep business models operational, as well.”

Conclusion
Businesses must consider IT resilience as the cornerstone of their continuity strategies in today’s increasingly digital economy. As stated by Sudhir Kunder, Chief Business Officer at DE-CIX Interwire, the interconnectedness of systems, redundancy in infrastructure, and holistic backup solutions are crucial in minimizing risks associated with IT disruptions. Businesses may reduce potential losses and guarantee operational stability by assessing their whole IT ecosystem, diversifying their landscapes, and utilizing hybrid cloud solutions. IT service providers are essential in helping businesses navigate these challenges since they provide all-inclusive plans that address everything from cloud interconnection to the server room. With proper planning, companies may preserve long-term productivity and value development in addition to safeguarding themselves against expensive disruptions.