Flooding could harm your agency’s communications systems

The near record rain and flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi could slow down your computer networks as clients call in

Insurance News

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Insurance agencies fielding calls from the near record rain and flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi this weekend are at risk of communication failure.

A surge in communication system demand could drastically slow down the computer networks of insurance companies and emergency responders, unless those networks employ monitoring with expanded Unified Communications (UC) capabilities.

Residents in the southern states of Louisiana and Mississippi – as well as Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama – were subjected to rain and flooding of historic levels. Some 10 to 15 inches of rain set off flash floods in parts of southwest Louisiana. President Barack Obama has declared Louisiana a “major disaster” area. Officials estimate that as many as 1,000 homes could be flooded by the rising Leaf River in Hattiesburg, Petal and surrounding areas in Mississippi.

For many residents in those areas, insurance agencies are the recipients of the first calls. However, IT experts warn that unusually high demand may slow down their ability to respond.

“It’s essential that network administrators who serve the affected area be prepared for significant spikes in demand on their IT infrastructure,” said Marcus MacNeill, Vice President of Product Management at Zenoss, a provider of unified monitoring and service analytics software. “When UC systems experience quality of services or outages after a natural disaster, it can impact the speed at which those affected can return their lives to normal.”

MacNeill recommended that insurance agencies, emergency services, and volunteer organizations employ IT infrastructure monitoring and automated notification systems. By monitoring demand on their IT networks, these organizations will ensure better uptime, and identify possible risks to the performance of their UC capabilities before services are compromised.

“The best approach to take for critical systems is always a proactive one,” said MacNeill. “IT organizations that are responsible for systems that by their very nature are subject to spikes in demand, need to be extra vigilant to ensure that demand doesn’t hamper lifesaving services.”
 

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