When beavers break the internet

... and other reasons to diversify your connectivity paths

In a recent article from CBC where, in what Canadian mobile network company Telus described as a “very bizarre and uniquely Canadian turn of events,” a beaver chewed through a crucial fiber cable, causing extensive damage and leaving numerous customers in British Columbia without internet service for hours on end.

The beaver broke the internet.

At Dejero, we pride ourselves on providing organizations with reliable connectivity, so we joked that “beaver-proofing” is already at the core of everything we do. What started as a cute Canadian anecdote only served to cement what Dejero offers: resilient, uninterrupted internet connectivity, created by intelligently combining diverse connections from multiple providers into a single managed service.

Because beavers aren’t the only culprits.

Major American telecom and internet service provider, Level 3 Communications — now part of Lumen Technologies — reported that squirrels were responsible for 17% of the overall damage to their fiber optic networks.¹

But it doesn’t stop there. Gophers are responsible for destroying underground fiber lines, while birds and cicadas damage aerial fiber lines. And then there’s sharks. Yes, sharks. They’ve been caught on video gnawing on submarine network cables that join continents.² And if animals can do that kind of damage, what do you think rogue vehicles, a construction backhoe, disgruntled vandals, or mother nature herself, can do? 

Think about how heavily organizations rely on connectivity — especially as they accelerate their digital transformation with cloud, mobile, and AI-driven technologies. 

From broadcasters and production companies to public safety and government agencies, to enterprises spanning a wide variety of industries, organizations depend on internet connectivity for cloud access and critical communications. In many situations, an unstable connection or a network outage isn't simply an annoyance, it can have catastrophic implications.

Many organizations may not even realize the fragility of their situation, especially if they’ve never experienced a connectivity failure before, but the reality is that relying on a single connectivity path or simple failover solution leaves organizations vulnerable — having a backup plan is critical. That’s where Dejero comes in.

Smart Blending Technology to the rescue

Patented Smart Blending Technology from Dejero aggregates 3G/4G/5G cellular connections from multiple providers, along with other wireless connections such as Wi-Fi and satellite, to deliver resilient internet connectivity. In scenarios where primary connectivity is already provided by cable/DSL/fiber broadband connections, Dejero can provide wireless backup connectivity. Our solutions provide the connection diversity, redundancy, and continuity that are vital to an organization’s operations.

As the world continues to become more interconnected, more organizations are embracing the cloud, becoming reliant on cloud services for collaboration, productivity, and communication. And as they become more dependent on internet connectivity for their critical communications, resilient connectivity becomes even more vital. 

We’ve got you covered.

¹ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/squirrels-do-17-of-the-damage-to-fiber-optic-network/243319/
² https://www.ppc-online.com/blog/animals-the-number-one-danger-to-fiber-networks