Future-Proof the Network: Strategies for ISPs to Prevent Infrastructure Downtime

It is no wonder how internet connectivity has changed our world because it has streamlined processes in every industry. Now, internet service providers (ISPs) find themselves at the forefront of the race to continuously provide faster speeds and seamless connectivity for people.

However, this does not come easy, as Filipinos continue to express dissatisfaction with the almost normalized cases of internet interruption in the country. A bill was even filed in the Senate, proposing amendments to Section 20 of the Public Telecommunications Policy Act. Senate Bill 2074 seeks to require public telecommunication entities (PTEs) to refund subscribers for telecommunication and internet service outages and disruptions. It also aims to ensure that consumers get their money's worth for the internet services they have availed themselves.

Jason Lim, Country Manager at Vertiv Philippines, acknowledges this challenge for ISPs. "Internet service providers bear the huge responsibility of spearheading the prevention of infrastructure downtime and ensuring uninterrupted services for their consumers. 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," Lim said.

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

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.

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 should 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.

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.

One of the measures they can take to scale up is to invest in an adequate uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Vertiv offers the Vertiv Liebert APM Plus, a modular high-density transformer-free UPS with exceptional features for mission-critical applications. Its modular and scalable configuration and its double conversion efficiency ensure operational cost savings, reducing the total cost of ownership and the environmental impact. It also saves space by up to 50% over legacy systems and is fully compatible with today's critical IT loads, which is vital for ISPs to meet the demands of users.

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.

Indeed, ensuring a robust and reliable internet infrastructure is imperative in today's world. ISPs must 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.

And as Architects of Continuityä, Vertiv is here to help scale up internet connectivity and build a resilient internet ecosystem. The company equips solutions for service providers by offering cutting-edge, sustainable, and innovative solutions to drive economic growth.

To learn more about how Vertiv supports the continuity of today's vital business, visit Vertiv.com.