The value of Internet redundancy in 24×7 factory locations

For modern factories, downtime can mean a hit to productivity, revenue, and customer trust. With production targets climbing and complex supply chains, it's critical to keep operations running 24/7. This is where Internet redundancy comes in.

By providing backup pathways for connectivity, redundancy ensures business continuity no matter what. A single outage can bring production lines to a standstill. But with the right redundancy built in, your factory can keep running smoothly. So you can meet production deadlines and protect quality in the age of Industry 4.0.

Below, we’ll walk through eight use cases that show why Internet redundancy is important for 24x7 factory operations. We’ll also explore how redundancy can support business continuity management and disaster recovery. Essentially, building networks for manufacturing that can withstand anything. 

Use cases for Internet redundancy in factories

1: Minimizing downtime and production interruptions

In Industry 4.0 factories, Internet access is as important as electricity. A stable Internet connection ensures a factory can support:

• Real-time monitoring and automated systems 
• Supply chain management 
• Internal communication

A single disruption in network infrastructure can stop production lines cold.

Redundant Internet connections act as a critical fail-safe, providing an alternative link if the primary connection fails. With this in place, you can minimize downtime, prevent production delays, and keep the factory operational around the clock.

2: Ensuring reliable communication

Running a 24x7 operation requires seamless communication across shifts, departments, and even countries. You need to coordinate activities, manage staff, and troubleshoot any issues as quickly as possible. From VoIP calls to instant messaging platforms, every interaction depends on Internet access.

With Internet redundancy, these tools remain available even during disruptions. That means managers can resolve issues quickly, remote experts can troubleshoot in real time, and cross-team collaboration doesn’t grind to a halt. 

The result? Smoother business operations and fewer costly delays.

3: Supporting real-time monitoring and control systems

Factories today rely on thousands of IoT devices to track performance, manage equipment, and keep tabs on inventory. According to Statista’s estimates, there are already 18 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and that number will nearly double by 2030.

But most importantly, these systems need a stable Internet connection to function. If they can’t send data, you lose visibility into production metrics. This can open the door to errors, inefficiency, and safety risks.

Internet redundancy ensures you don’t lose access to this data. With consistent monitoring and alerts, your team can respond quickly to anomalies, protect product quality, and maintain operational efficiency and stability.

4: Maintaining supply chain integration

Manufacturing is no longer an isolated process. It’s tightly connected to suppliers, logistics providers, and distributors. Just-in-time inventory management, order processing, and delivery scheduling all depend on real-time information.

Internet redundancy helps:

1. Maintain the continuous flow of information between suppliers, the factory, and distributors. This is crucial for managing supply levels, scheduling deliveries, and avoiding bottlenecks in the production process.
2. Ensure that supply chain integrations remain active, preventing disruptions that could lead to production delays and inventory shortages.

5: Facilitating remote access and management

In many factories, managers, engineers, and IT staff oversee operations remotely. Remote managers and technical staff need to access factory systems remotely, even if the primary connection goes down. In fact, especially if the primary connection goes down.

With redundancy in place, remote visibility remains intact. Whether it’s an overnight shift in one location or a global team monitoring performance, staff can continue working as if nothing happened. This responsiveness can mean the difference between a minor hiccup and a major disruption.

6: Enhancing cybersecurity resilience

Connectivity failures aren’t always caused by accidents. They can be triggered by cyberattacks. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average breach in manufacturing costs $4.89 million. 

Redundancy strengthens your defenses by providing alternative secure pathways. For example, a factory might segment critical traffic across different connections. This reduces the risk that one breach compromises everything. And if the main provider is affected by a denial-of-service attack, operations can immediately switch to a secondary, protected connection.

This layered approach aligns with broader business continuity management strategies by reducing risk exposure and maintaining operational control.

7: Supporting compliance and reporting

Many factories face strict regulatory requirements and continuous real-time data collection. From environmental impact reporting to safety audits. Internet outages can interrupt these processes, leading to compliance failures and fines. 

Redundant Internet connections keep reporting systems online 24/7. This ensures you meet legal obligations, maintain transparency, and protect your reputation.

8: Cost efficiency in the long run

While setting up Internet redundancy requires investment, the ROI is clear. 

When you weigh up the financial impact of halted production, missed deadlines, and lost revenue, diversity is a small price to pay. Investing in internet redundancy makes your factory more adaptable and resilient. This is crucial for success in today's competitive manufacturing landscape.

Consider the cost of one unplanned shutdown. That's missed deadlines, wasted materials, lost revenue, and potential customer churn. According to Siemens, unplanned network downtime costs manufacturers anywhere from $39,000 to $2 million per hour. Compared to those risks, redundancy is a cost-effective insurance policy. 

By protecting operations from disruptions, you reduce the financial impact of outages and strengthen resilience over the long term.

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The importance of Internet redundancy for business continuity in 24/7 factory locations

Choosing the right technology diversity for your organization

Not all redundancy strategies look the same. The best approach is to layer in technology diversity using multiple types of connectivity.

Options include:

• Fixed Wireless Access. With 4G/LTE/5G, it’s quick to deploy and highly reliable in areas where fiber isn’t practical.
• Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. They deliver global coverage and low latency. This is especially valuable for remote or hard-to-reach factory sites.
• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA). Providing reliable, enterprise-grade performance for critical traffic.

By mixing these technologies, manufacturing entities can build redundancy into their network infrastructure. This ensures coverage even for sites in regions with limited service availability. 

Internet redundancy as part of a disaster recovery plan

Disruption can happen for lots of reasons, like natural disasters, cyber incidents, or regional outages. Every manufacturer should have a disaster recovery plan that accounts for network disruptions. 

Internet redundancy should be a cornerstone of that plan. With backup pathways, you can protect productivity, employees, customers, and long-term business growth.

Make Internet redundancy a part of your business continuity plan for manufacturing

In the high-stakes environment of a 24x7 factory, Internet redundancy can be the difference between uninterrupted operations and failing to hit your production targets.

At Expereo, we help enterprises design networks that are resilient, flexible, and built for the speed of business. We review your needs on a site-by-site basis and design a solution that suits your specific needs.

Whether you’re building a new site or upgrading existing infrastructure, we provide quick deployment for “always on” connectivity.