Technology has come a long way in the 21st century, allowing us to store all our information on cloud storage and computing services. Instead of keeping all of your files, products, services, and applications locally, you can keep them on a server for better security and reliability. The servers that are established by cloud computing and hosting services are made to last long, to be durable, and to save information in case there is a hardware failure. But, what happens if the connection to those servers is down?
It is a scary thought, but you have to remember that these kinds of things rarely happen. Even when they do happen, the connection is going to be down only for a few minutes or an hour maximum.
However, this does not mean that you should not be prepared for such a situation. If the connection fails four hours or even days, you should be prepared for what comes next
To help you keep the situation under control, I decided to write this article to give you a few tips on what you could do if your connection to the cloud is down.
Create a contingency plan
Having contingency plans in place is essential for any company. As a business owner, you have to be ready for anything. Especially for the situations when you lose access to your most important files and documents.
Yes, this is not exactly a solution that is going to help you and that exact moment once the connection to the cloud fails, but it is one of the better ways to deal with such a situation.
This is why you have to ensure that you have made a proper contingency plan.
So, what are the essentials of this kind of plan? Well, first, I think it is a good idea to have some of the more important files in another server or storage. If your main server fails, you can always switch this backup.
Another additional backup would be to have some of your more recent files stored locally. So, in case there is a huge Internet outage around the world, you can always access the files that are on your computer drive.
Keep in mind, you will have to teach this plan to all of your employees. So, when the worst happens, all of them will be ready and will already know what to do.
Check if the problem is on your side
If you are in any way tech-savvy and if you can get around computers, routers, and with software, maybe you should check out whether the conductivity problem is in your office or with your computer. If not, consider calling someone from IT to analyze the situation.
If the problem is on your side, that is a good thing. It means that the solution is going to be much easier and less expensive.
And, if you really do not have the time to wait and you have to continue working, while the problem is being fixed, you can always use create a hotspot with your phone. With 4G or 5G connectivity, that is more than enough to access and download the files you need.
Contact your cloud service provider
When the cloud is down, everyone starts thinking about the worst. However, that might not be the situation. The cause for loss of connection might be something local or something that can be remotely fixed by your service provider.
Before you start switching to a different application and backing up files, you should probably contact your service provider. See whether the problem is on their side or your side. If it is on your side, they will most probably try to fix your problem as quickly as possible. If not, they may even send a technician.
Unfortunately, if the problem is on their side, there is not much that they or you can do to stop all you can do is wait until the services are back online.
However, if you do not want this to happen to your company ever again, it is probably a good idea to find a more reliable cloud service provider. Or, even better, find services that can directly connect you to major cloud and SaaS platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, or Google Cloud Platform as suggested by consoleconnect.com.
With this kind of connection, you will always have a fast and secure connection to all of your files. Not only will the connection be fast, but you will also never have trouble with it. These companies ensure that your connection to these cloud platforms is always online.
Do not panic and try to stay productive
When you lose access to cloud services, you are probably losing a lot more than just storage. Not only do you not have access to some vital files, but you also lose access to tools and applications. However, there is no need to panic because there is always a solution. Especially for these kinds of situations.
Of course, those tools coming from cloud computing services might be much better than the alternative, but even the alternative is still much better than nothing.
For example, if you commonly use Google Docs’ word processor and then you lose your connection to it, you should probably switch to a local application. Microsoft Word or maybe even WordPad. It is very difficult to work in WordPad and it does not have nearly as enough features as many other word processors, but at least you still have a place to continue work.
So, in case there is an outage in the future, I suggest that you supply your employees with application alternatives. This way they can continue their productivity.
Entirely losing connection to your cloud storage and other cloud services is a scary thought. It is something that can definitely happen. However, if you have a contingency plan and if you keep the things in mind that I mentioned above, I am sure that you will be able to stay productive no matter how long you cannot get access to the cloud.
