[Term of the Day]: Network Redundancy
Term of the Day
“Network Redundancy”
Definition — What is Network Redundancy and why does it matter?
Network redundancy is a high-availability service for a network that has additional links to connect all nodes in case one link goes down. In the event of a failure with various network communications links or devices, redundancy allows your network, servers, and internet connectivity to remain in service by providing alternative communications paths and backup equipment. Network redundancies typically apply to servers, networks, and internet connectivity.
Why network redundancy is important?
When the network goes down, everything stops. For some organizations, a few minutes of downtime isn't critical. For others, including those whose business depends on a customer-facing website, a few minutes of downtime means lost revenue and, possibly, lost customers. It's critical for these enterprises to design a network that stays up despite a component failure.
According to the Ponemon Institute's Cost of Data Center Outages report, unplanned network outages cost organizations nearly $15,000 per minute. While the direct costs to an organization are obvious, indirect costs, such as damage to reputation or lost productivity, can have a significant impact on business operations. Developing network redundancies, backed by a disaster recovery plan, will help to eliminate or reduce costs associated with downtime.