Recent disputes involving Internet network service providers have underlined the importance of having redundant connections to the Internet, even for modest web sites and businesses.

dead links
In two recent incidents Internet backbone providers intentionally cut off network traffic and caused major disruptions for hundreds of sites and thousands of paying customers.

This summer Telus, the second largest telecommunications company in Canada, decided to blockade one specific web site for political reasons due to a labour dispute (the site was that of the Telecommunications Workers Union) and ended up blockading hundreds of others due to the technological method used. The folly was that users on other providers’ networks were not affected in the least and smaller networks that purchase connectivity from Telus were also cut off. You can read the details of the story on Michael Geist’s site in several articles including this one .

This month Level 3 Communications cut off data flowing from Cogent Communications citing commercial reasons. The result was a serious disruption not only for users but also for many sites whose connectivity depended on what is known as a peering agreement between Cogent and Level 3. A Google news search will give you the latest developments or you can read this story at Cnet.

reducing the risk
That Internet network providers would use, some would say abuse, their power for commercial ends is not surprising. This has been predicted since the Internet moved from public funding into private hands. It has happened before and no doubt will happen again. It is up to individuals and businesses to protect themselves where possible.

The use of multiple Internet connections, links to different backbone providers, has been common for large businesses since the early days. Hosting providers, whether they run their own data centres or re-brand services of a hosting “wholesaler”, have always touted the risk mitigation benefits of their connection to multiple Internet backbones like Level 3, AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Global Crossing, Sprint, NTT/Verio, etc., etc.

But small to mid-sized enterprises are not likely to have the resources to configure, deploy, and manage multiple links. Even larger enterprises would rather avoid the cost and complexity of managing and monitoring multiple networks. This is not a task for the average IT department. This work is highly specialized and good specialists are not cheap.

hosting services offer multiple backbones
For many the answer is to outsource essential Internet site infrastructure to a large and reliable hosting service.

I’m sometimes concerned about the loss of control when IT services are outsourced, but with a good hosting provider the risks are minimal and the benefits many. The risks are minimal because external hosting arrangements can be tailored to provide minimal services. The only essential ones are the physical location and the multiple network connections. Let the hosting centre provide these. Use your own servers, if you wish, under a basic co-location plan or opt for virtual servers with an inexpensive plan that, nonetheless, will include the same benefits of multiple network links.

In almost all cases a well run hosting service that is located in a purpose-built facility is a better choice than an in-house data centre. Access to multiple Internet backbones is one of the main reasons.

buyer beware
Beware: “redundant” and “multiple” don’t necessarily mean the same thing. Network providers who offer their own data centre services will speak of “redundant” connections, but these are likely to be multiple links to their own backbone only. It may not seem to them like good business sense to offer backup connectivity via their rivals.

As well, many smaller providers simply re-brand the services of a larger network. It pays to have the details of all the networks involved researched and mapped out.

Choosing a suitable hosting provider isn’t a trivial exercise and it’s usually best not to rely entirely on a vendor’s assessment of their own facilities. If you can afford it, an independent evaluation might be worthwhile. In any case, my recommendation would be to go with a hosting provider that is independent of any network service provider, of course.

Cheers,
-pmh