What actually happens to you during software and data withdrawal?
Will you survive the withdrawal symptoms?
Imagine this. Your cloud is DEAD. At this point, at the latest, you realize how dependent you actually are on it.
To demonstrate how drastic the consequences can be, I thought a comparison to an alcoholic would be quite fitting.
Because both too much data and no data at all can be quite “harmful to health” for the company.
The reason for the failure can be found in many places: the internet, the internal network, or even the provider of the cloud solution used.
Those who haven’t made provisions will then be “left out in the cold.”
That’s why I examine these topics more closely in this blog post and provide some tips on what preventive measures can be taken.
Enjoy the read and gain new insights.
P.S. Regarding the topic of “digital junkies,” I have also previously written a blog post. However, that one primarily deals with the topics that companies should focus on.
Without a “software cloud,” things quickly heat up and the (data) alcoholics develop an enormous “thirst.”
What is actually already running in the cloud?
Quite a lot; in some companies, virtually everything. Nevertheless, few companies seem to realize how great their dependency truly is, as “in-house solutions” are now frowned upon by most.
Everything has two sides. Including the cloud solution.
But let’s become aware of the various solutions in a company that are often already used in the cloud. Using the example of a medium-sized logistics company:
TMS – Transport Management
CRM – Customer Relationship Management
WMS – Warehouse Management
FI – Financial Accounting
HR – Human Resources System
BI – Business Intelligence
DMS – Document Management
Office – Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Teams® – for online conferences
SharePoint® – for various topics
Telephony (e.g., MS Teams® or cloud telephone providers) plus other systems!
Insight: Without backup or emergency concepts, this company is completely incapacitated. (Perhaps the mobile phones still work.)
Now nothing works anymore. At most, typing with one finger. (You can’t even hold a glass that way anymore.) 🙂
What could be the reasons?
There can be various reasons why the cloud is “gone” :
Power failure
Certainly the simplest reason, because where there is no power, there are no computers, no network, and no cloud.
Provider is bankrupt
It can certainly happen that a provider passes away, so to speak.
Internet outage
Either due to a technical fault or simply because an excavator has just destroyed the cable in front of your building.
Ransomware: System inaccessible due to extortion
This is becoming an ever-increasing risk and ultimately a major topic in its own right. It should by no means be underestimated.
Invoice not paid, access cut off
Subscription systems only work if money flows in regular installments. It is easy to underestimate, especially in today’s uncertain economic situation, that one might suddenly be unable to pay the subscription invoice. But what then? If the provider blocks access (whether this is easily permitted or not is another matter entirely).
Blocked due to violation of the EU Digital Services Act
This is now also possible. If employees record “malicious information” in their communication or general data entry and these systems scan for it, then this is entirely possible. I have already written a blog article on Microsoft and censorship topics regarding this.
Do not take this lightly, because in the end, MS can simply “deactivate” your Office, your Windows®, indeed all your MS products!
And certainly many more……
Insight regarding failure possibilities:
It is admirable what “faith” customers place in ever-functioning technology. People simply act as if none of the above topics could ever affect them, and if they did, only for such a short time that they could handle it without problems.
If I stick with the comparison to the alcoholic, it’s like waiting until you’ve fetched a new bottle of schnapps from the neighbors. That is certainly doable!
You should also think twice about the idea “we have nothing to hide” (regarding the EU Digital Services Act). Who knows when the statement “Scholz is stupid” will be enough to get an account blocked!
“Lucky break,” but unfortunately cut off from the outside world, completely without cloud access.
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How could one take preventive measures?
Given the reasons, you have surely already had one or two ideas about what you would do to prevent this.
The emergency generator – but please with a capacity that lasts long enough and really secures all necessary systems.
Alternative internet access – cable, 5G, or even Starlink. (I myself have a total of 4 ways to access the internet, including the aforementioned Starlink.)
Evaluate the failure risks at the provider – here, almost everyone relies on the “professionals” having secured themselves well. But have they really? Looking into the contracts and simply playing through various “what if” scenarios could be helpful!
In-house data backup
It can be very helpful to permanently mirror ALL current data locally. Yes, then you have computers for that again, but in various failure scenarios, you can at least still fall back on them (provider bankruptcy, etc.). Relying solely on the fact that…
Of course, you should then also know where to find what and how to access it. Incidentally, this would also solve part of the problem of data migration in the event of a possible termination of the contract on your part.
Manual processes – this is certainly the hardest nut to crack. Here, you must define exactly what can be handled manually at all (if, for example, the warehouse is also at a standstill because power is missing), how data is recorded, processed, and communicated, and also how all of this is then synchronized with the systems once they are running again. This is not possible without a very precise plan.
An example: In time tracking, both for operations and attendance, it is certainly possible to record times manually and transfer them later. However, the question then arises whether this is done on a sheet of paper, on a tablet or PC with sufficient battery and charging capability, or in some other way.
Read contracts and T&Cs
Hard to believe, but many end-user companies simply do not read the contracts or T&Cs. If a special case then occurs, they first fall back on an “assumption,” naturally in their own favor. This strategy, which is not one, should not be used. It will “backfire.”
The common opinion “I can’t change it anyway” then does not count as an excuse. You should at least know what you are getting into.
Insights: There are many ways to protect yourself. However, many “isolated solutions” can end up causing more chaos than you think. So, you should have a contingency plan and implement it. And please don’t forget to “practice.” Otherwise, it will never work!
Those who do not take precautions will be “left out in the cold” later.
Don’t worry! there is a solution for EVERYTHING.
Anyone who has cold sweat on their face after these explanations and wants a corresponding emergency concept, including a focus on the topic of processes, is very welcome to arrange a free initial appointment with me!
Conclusion: If you rely on the cloud and the internet connection, you are lost! The only thing that helps is prevention and minimizing dependency from the start.
Image sources: Shutterstock
