Failover + Connectivity Resilience Checklist
A practical checklist and test plan for internet failover, resilience assumptions, and evidence that backup connectivity actually works.
Connectivity Failover Continuity Ops
Why this exists
Many organisations have a backup connection or failover feature but have never tested what really happens when the main link fails.
1) Quick checks
| Check | What good looks like | Status / notes |
|---|
| Primary and backup links documented | You know who provides each link, what equipment is involved, and who owns support. | |
| Automatic or manual failover understood | The business knows what “failover” actually means in practice. | |
| Critical apps listed | You know which systems must work during an outage. | |
| Test history exists | There is evidence from at least one controlled failover test. | |
2) Controlled failover test plan
- Choose a low-risk test window and advise key users.
- List the 3–5 critical things to validate during failover.
- Trigger failover or simulate primary-link loss in the approved way.
- Record what worked, what degraded, and how long recovery took.
- Return to normal, document lessons, and assign actions.
3) Failover evidence log
| Date | Tester | Scenario | Time to switch | Critical apps validated | Result | Actions |
|---|
| | | | | Pass / Fail / Partial | |
| | | | | Pass / Fail / Partial | |
4) Questions to ask your IT person / MSP
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|
| What actually happens if the main internet link fails? | “We have failover” is not the same as knowing the real outcome. |
| Which apps are expected to keep working? | Business expectations need to match technical reality. |
| When did we last test it? | Untested failover is an assumption, not a control. |
5) Common gotchas
- Failover exists but key apps/VPNs break or degrade badly.
- Data caps or bandwidth limits make the backup path unsuitable for normal business use.
- No one knows whether switching is automatic or manual.
- Tests are never run because “we don’t want disruption”.
Note: This document is general operational guidance and does not replace legal advice. It helps you establish a practical baseline and reduce common privacy risks.
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