Let’s start with a stat: 80% of government IT leaders experienced at least 1 critical network outage in the last 3 months.1
Public safety mission critical systems have to stay available 24 x 7 x 365. Period. A public safety system is not a “normal” IT network. Your technology needs to keep first responders safe and needs to be uniquely supported and managed to operate under all circumstances and events – planned or unplanned. You have to prepare to fail.
Understanding how your system operates in various failure modes is critical. How well can you identify an outage versus a maintenance check? What types of contingency plans do you have defined in your organization and with third-party vendors and agencies? How often are you accessing wireless coverage information to ensure you don’t have any new blind spots from when the system was first installed? If and when a failure does happen, how responsive you are to minimizing the downtime can make a significant difference in the outcome you experience.
Mission-critical network management takes rigor and expertise that requires a comprehensive approach with the right team, processes and tools. Read more about best practices you need to adopt in our whitepaper: Critical Steps to Prevent Network Downtime.
SOURCES: 1. 2016 Survey by the Center for Digital Government.
