The Out-of-Band Readiness Checklist

Moving Forward: Building True Out-of-Band Resilience

If your assessment revealed gaps - and for most organisations it will - here's how to address them:

1. Acknowledge the Architecture Problem

Most "backup" systems aren't truly independent. Recognize that having multiple systems on the same infrastructure or authentication doesn't provide real resilience.

2. Define Your Critical Communication Needs

• Who needs to communicate during a crisis?
• What information do they need to access?
• What decisions need to be made and documented?
• What channels need to remain open?

3. Evaluate True Independence

When assessing out-of-band solutions, verify:

• Separate infrastructure (not just separate applications)
• Independent authentication (doesn't rely on your IdP)
• Isolated data storage (won't be encrypted with your primary systems)
• Accessible outside your corporate network
• Can operate when primary cloud providers are down

You can access our Out-of-Band Communications Platform Buyer's Guide for a more detailed approach to assessing out-of-band communication solutions.

4. Test Realistically

Conduct exercises where you actually disable primary systems. If you're not willing to turn things off during a test, you're not testing what happens when they're forced off during an incident.

5. Maintain Ruthlessly

Out-of-band communications platforms require dedicated maintenance. Assign clear ownership, set update schedules, and verify access regularly.