Blog Remain Capable of Action: Why Alternatives to Us Cloud Solutions Are Essential

Remain Capable of Action: Why Alternatives to Us Cloud Solutions Are Essential

A sudden outage of Microsoft Teams or other U.S. cloud services – and a company's communication structures come to a standstill. Decisions are delayed, important information reaches neither the management level nor the workforce. Such a scenario is not mere theory: the outage of Microsoft 365 services in January 2023 showed how vulnerable companies are when they rely exclusively on cloud-based communication tools. This article highlights the risks of this dependency and shows how Teamwire helps organizations to remain operational even in the event of outages of standard solutions.

Teamwire, Nov 15 2024

The Risks of Dependency on Cloud Services

Many companies rely on services such as Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, or other large US-based cloud solutions. Such services often offer interesting features in terms of functionality and price. However, dependence on such tools is associated with a significant risk: technical problems or even a total failure of the respective cloud platform can lead to an inability to function, production delays, a loss of sales, and, in serious cases, reputational damage for all customers.

Outages such as these, which have been occurring more frequently recently, typically affect thousands of companies at the same time (e.g. the CrowdStrike outage) and result in very high costs. The urgency of having alternative communication channels available is therefore very high.

The current geopolitical tensions and international crises also increase the risk of state hacking attacks on the major US cloud services and the associated infrastructures (e.g. submarine cables for broadband transmission). Outages due to such cyber security incidents may last longer and should not be underestimated by companies in the coming years.

Stricter Requirements Due to NIS-2 and DORA

In addition, strict requirements exist for certain industries, such as healthcare, finance, or critical infrastructure (see, for example, NIS-2 and DORA) about the communication tools used. In these cases, companies are bound by industry-specific standards and often also by certifications that ensure the secure handling of data and the high availability of communication solutions. US-based cloud providers generally follow international standards, but cannot always fully cover specific EU requirements. Such a failure can therefore endanger not only the ability to act but also compliance and ultimately the security of supply of these companies.

How Teamwire Supports As a Resilient Solution for Crises

Teamwire offers a highly available, GDPR-compliant communication solution for companies and organizations that want to act independently and autonomously from global cloud providers. As a European provider, Teamwire meets the regulatory requirements specifically for the European market and offers a fail-safe infrastructure that is tailored to the needs of local industry and the public sector. This enables companies and public authorities to remain communicative even when other providers experience outages, and to secure important operational processes in the interest of business continuity.

Advantages of Teamwire In an Emergency

High Availability and Redundancy

With ISO 27001 and BSI-C5 certified data centers, and high service level agreements for mission-critical communication & collaboration, Teamwire offers a strong technical infrastructure designed for redundancy and high availability.

Data Protection and Security

Teamwire is fully GDPR-compliant, offers absolute data sovereignty, and guarantees encrypted communication. By storing data exclusively in Germany, Teamwire offers a secure alternative to US-based cloud services, where data protection and data sovereignty are often a critical issue.

The Right Functions for Emergency Situations

Especially in crises, a fast, and reliable communication solution is crucial. Teamwire ensures real-time collaboration, regardless of location, via text, data, voice, and video. It also offers various specially developed emergency functions:

Alerts to warn all relevant stakeholders, with a feedback function to capture reactions immediately.
Broadcasts and distribution lists to quickly distribute information to all stakeholders.
Status messages for highlighting news and announcements.
Push-to-talk for hands-free, fast voice communication.
Group chats for efficient collaboration and coordination within the crisis team.
Video conferencing to solve urgent problems together and for live image transmission.
Live location tracking to facilitate the deployment and coordination of teams on site.

Thanks to these functions, companies can ensure that all important contacts and employees can be reached directly at any time – without delays, even if conventional communication channels fail. You can find more details about the functions here.

Strategic Preparedness: Independent Communication Channels As the Key to Crisis Resistance

To ensure the company’s security and ability to act, companies should not rely on just one provider. By using Teamwire as a resilient communication channel, companies can react to changing crises without any problems. The stability of business communication lies in its resilience and independence. Choosing a European provider that meets the highest standards in terms of data protection, security, and reliability is crucial.

Final Thought

Business communication without a reliable infrastructure can quickly become a risk. Resilient and mission-critical solutions like Teamwire are therefore invaluable.

As a European communications provider, Teamwire not only offers data security and GDPR compliance but also the certainty that companies will remain operational and thus always be able to act when it matters. Even in the event of outages of global cloud services.

Ready for secure communication in times of crisis?

Find out how Teamwire can protect your organization – and ensure that your communication always works, even when other systems fail. Request a free consultation now.