VOIP and your Disaster Recovery Plan

• What “Disaster Recovery” means for business communications
• Why traditional phone systems fail in disasters
• How VoIP supports a Disaster Recovery Plan
• What a VoIP Disaster Recovery Plan should include
• Benefits for business
• How Zadarma can provide a Disaster Recovery Solution
• Common mistakes
• FAQs

No business is safe from natural disasters or unexpected events such as power outages. These can happen when the company is least prepared, which can disrupt the business operations. Recent events, such as COVID-19, have shown that the traditional technologies are not as reliable as we once believed. Especially for office work and business communications.

Therefore, it is crucial for every business to have a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) in place. DRP helps to avoid disruption, unnecessary stress and most importantly the loss of customers.

What “Disaster Recovery” means for business communications

Disaster Recovery in business communications means having a plan to keep phone systems working during unexpected problems. These problems can include different types of disasters such as natural disasters (floods, fires, or earthquakes), technical failures like power outages, internet or server crashes, and cyberattacks. When any of these happen, normal communication can stop.

If phone systems go down, a business cannot talk to customers or employees, which makes it difficult to operate.

Why traditional phone systems fail in disasters

Traditional phone systems usually depend on equipment located in one office, such as an on-site PBX and physical phone lines. If the office building is damaged or loses power or internet, the phone system stops working. Physical lines can also be easily cut or broken, and rerouting calls often takes time and technical work.

How VoIP supports a Disaster Recovery Plan

VoIP systems work differently from traditional phones. They are cloud-based and not tied to one location and can be accessed from any internet connected device. The team can work remotely without office space and deskphones.

VoIP helps businesses stay reachable during emergencies. Calls can be forwarded to other phones or offices if the main location is unavailable. Many VoIP providers use servers in different regions, so if one location fails, another can take over.

Employees can use softphones or mobile apps to make and receive calls from home. Virtual numbers allow businesses to keep the same phone number even if the office is closed. Voicemail can also be sent to email, so important messages are not missed.

What a VoIP Disaster Recovery Plan should include

A VoIP disaster recovery plan should include:

• A backup internet connection. For example, an eSIM that does not require a physical SIM card and can be installed on almost any smartphone.
• A cloud-based business phone system (PBX). It should have configured call routing rules so that calls are directed to the correct department or office during an outage. An emergency IVR message can inform customers about the situation, if needed. Regular testing of the plan to ensure it works correctly.
• Regular staff training so that employees know what to do when a problem occurs.
• Installed applications on smartphones, if your office uses IP phones. When needed, employees can launch the applications immediately to provide uninterrupted communication for customers.
• A CRM system (Customer Relationship Management), where customer data is stored and can be accessed by employees at any time, from any internet-connected device. CRM ensures that no data is lost or becomes unavailable.

Benefits for business

Using VoIP for disaster recovery plan helps businesses maintain communication with customers during difficult situations. A backup plan builds trust and prevents data loss, lost sales and customers. Recovery is usually faster because services can be moved to another location quickly, or the company can continue operating remotely. VoIP disaster recovery is also cheaper than traditional systems that require duplicate hardware and phone lines.

How Zadarma can provide a Disaster Recovery Solution

Zadarma is cloud-based, meaning it can be accessed from any device connected to the internet. During emergencies, the system works as usual, with no need to change any settings or call routing. Calls can be made and received via applications on smartphones, tablets, or computers.

Zadarma provides a free Cloud PBX and CRM. With these systems, no backup is required, as all information and the phone system are stored in the cloud and are not linked to any physical location.

The company also provides eSIMs for mobile data, which can be installed at any time via a QR code without any physical SIM cards. With an eSIM and the application, employees can make and receive calls as usual from any location.

With six data centers, Zadarma can transfer its operations to another data center when needed. This means that Zadarma users can continue to access their usual telephony services even if one of the data centers is down.

All these features make Zadarma fully prepared for almost any emergency.

Common mistakes

Many businesses make mistakes in their disaster recovery planning. The most common mistakes are:

• Not planning for a disaster.
• Failing to test the plan, so it does not work as intended when a problem occurs.
• Relying on only one internet provider.
• Not training staff on a regular basis, so they do not have a clear plan when it is needed.
• Not giving employees a way to work remotely if the office is unavailable.
• Not storing customer data in a cloud-based system that allows rules to be set for employees to access it remotely.

All these mistakes may lead to chaos during a difficult situation, as well as the loss of customer data, customers, and sales.

Conclusion

VoIP is more than just a low-cost phone system. It helps businesses stay connected during emergencies and continue communicating with their customers. With the right planning, VoIP becomes an important part of a company’s disaster recovery strategy and a key tool for business survival during emergencies.