CloudStrike and Rapid Recovery!

CloudStrike!

Lightning strike and Rapid Recovery

Lightning Strikes!
In an era where business operations hinge on reliable connectivity, unexpected disruptions can severely impact productivity. This white paper outlines how Zerowait, a leader in IT infrastructure resolutions, swiftly restored connectivity at a remote office following a lightning-induced internet outage. Below we will describe how planning, preparation, and practice enabled Zerowait to meet critical connectivity requirements and maintain operational continuity.

Situation: A lightning strike near Zerowait’s remote office,  disrupted the office’s internet the following morning. Troubleshooting efforts, including rebooting equipment and swapping cables to an alternate line, failed to restore connectivity. The office typically relied on a static VPN connection between firewalls to access critical systems at the Delaware headquarters, but this was unavailable due to the outage. Spectrum, the internet service provider, was contacted, but a technician would not arrive for several hours, threatening significant downtime.

Task: The objective was to restore secure, reliable access to the Delaware headquarters’
systems as quickly as possible to ensure business continuity. The solution required bypassing the offline static VPN, utilizing existing resources, and maintaining data security. The team aimed to minimize downtime and resume operations until the primary internet connection was restored, leveraging pre-planned disaster recovery (DR) strategies.

Action: Zerowait’s proactive DR and multi-site redundancy protocols enabled a rapid response:
• Redundant Connectivity Options: The team activated two pre-tested internet sources:
a Starlink satellite terminal and an iPhone Personal Hotspot, ensuring immediate backup
connectivity.
• Software-Based VPN Deployment: With the static VPN offline, the team implemented a pre-configured software-based VPN to securely connect to headquarters’ systems.• Swift Execution: Within minutes, both connections were established, tested for stability,
and rolled out to the team, enabling seamless access to critical systems.
• Continuous Monitoring: The team monitored performance to ensure reliability until
Spectrum’s technician arrived.

Result: Zerowait’s preparedness yielded exceptional outcomes:
• Rapid Recovery: Connectivity was restored in minutes, preventing productivity losses.
• Secure Operations: The software-based VPN ensured secure access to sensitive
systems.
• Cost Efficiency: Leveraging existing resources (Starlink and iPhone) avoided additional
costs.
• Operational Continuity: No delays in critical tasks or client deliverables occurred.
Spectrum replaced the non-working modem/router within three hours, restoring the static
VPN. Engineering Manager Chris Mire stated, “We were able to get the remote site back
up and running quickly because of our knowledge and pre-planning.”

Zerowait’s expertise in multi-site redundancy, DR, and use of its own robust products
(“eating our own dog food”) minimized downtime. For businesses seeking reliable IT
preparedness, Zerowait delivers proven solutions. Contact Zerowait for your connectivity challenges! Email us at sales@zerowait.com or call our team at (302) 996-9408 to schedule a consultation.