Send SMS alerts to minimize network downtime

Unplanned system downtime can lead to revenue losses and reputation damage for enterprises. Risks associated with downtime need to be mitigated immediately to prevent it from developing into a crisis or full-blown disaster.

If you are the head of the IT department, the said scenario is a nightmare, especially, if you work in a large organization. You will be flooded with calls and emails from all other departments for a quick resolution. How do you notify your employees in the most efficient way minimizing the fallout from the outage?

There are different means of notifying employees about a network failure. You can notify them via SMS, Email or Phone call. Let's compare the different ways of notifying employees:

 

FEATURES SMS EMAIL PHONE CALL
Reach Rate Immediate(if the mobile phone is on) Sends instantly but can take time to be downloaded from the email server Instant
Read Rate 90%* recipients read it within minutes of delivery Sends instantly but can take time to be downloaded from the email server Depending on whether the call picks up
Usability Universal(not limited by proprietary software) Universal(not limited by proprietary software) Universal
Availability

 

 Very high as a user will always have his phone around him. Also independent of data and Wi-Fi Limited or no access to emails when on the move .Need Wi-Fi to access emails Very high as the person will have his phone around
Backup Limited. Difficult to reference for future records Helps in looking up items saved for future reference No backup possible
Bulk  Sending Can send out bulk messages Can send out bulk messages Can only call very limited user at a time
Malware Not susceptible to virus or malware Primary medium of spreading malware through infected files or to links malicious websites Most secure way of reaching someone
Spam High spam rate High spam rate High spam rate
Business Critical Information Sends urgent and actionable alerts instantly Possibility of critical information being lost among other emails in the mailbox Can relay urgent information instantly (depending on whether the caller picks up)
Time-sensitive Information Sends information quickly with immediate high response rate Emails tend to be missed out especially when system downtime occurs. Response can be slow The fastest way to communicate information (depending on whether the caller picks up) downtime occurs. Response can be slow
Cost Copy of implementing is marginally higher than email Not much investment required to set up email Low cost as phone is owned by the user or company provided
2-way Communication Yes Yes Yes
Intrusive Less Intrusive Less Intrusive Very intrusive as in case of desk phones they have to be acted up before resuming work

 

Benefits of using SMS as a notification tool:

  1. Automates the process of communicating critical alerts instantly to end users enabling corrective action in time.
  2. 2-way Alerts from IP addressable infrastructure (both IT/ non-IT), Third Party Applications and Users across the Enterprise
  3. Cost-Efficient and effective independent of internet connectivity