Bonus Question: Are data center and network environments protected by redundant connectivity and failover mechanisms?
Why This Matters
Resilient connectivity ensures uptime and prevents single-point failures. Redundancy in circuits, routing, and power maintains service continuity during disruptions.
Maturity
Single ISP or circuit; no redundancy.
Manual switch-over between links.
Redundant links configured; partial routing failover.
Automated routing (BGP/HSRP) tested quarterly.
Full dual-ISP design with monitored failover alerts.
Self-healing network with predictive failure analytics.
How to Level Up
| From → To | Actions |
|—|—|
| 0 → 1 |Procure secondary circuits.|
| 1 → 2 |Configure dual routing paths.|
| 2 → 3 |Enable automatic failover protocols.|
| 3 → 4 |Monitor failover events and alert SOC.|
| 4 → 5 |Adopt analytics for proactive rerouting. |
Enablers
- People: Network Engineer, Infrastructure Manager
- Process: Design → Test → Monitor
- Technology: BGP, HSRP, SD-WAN
Evidence
- Network diagrams showing redundancy
- Failover test reports
- Alert logs from outages
KPIs
- Number of redundant links per site
- Mean time to recover (MTTR) after link loss
- Test success rate for failover events
Low-Cost / Open-Source Options (MSME)
| Purpose | Tool | Notes |
|—|—|—|
| Monitoring | Zabbix / LibreNMS | Track link status |
| Simulation | GNS3 / EVE-NG | Test failover logic |
| Analytics | Prometheus + Grafana | Visualize uptime trends |
Common Pitfalls
- Dual links on same provider path
- Un-tested redundancy designs
- No alerting on failover failures
Compliance Mapping
| Standard | Clauses / Notes | |—|—| | ISO/IEC 27001 | A.5.30 / A.8.17 | | ISO 22301 | 8.4 / 8.5 | | NIST CSF 2.0 | PR.PT / RS.RP | | NIRMATA Mapping | IS-Q22B integrates network resiliency within Infrastructure Security. |