You know the type. The IT guy who thinks he's the second coming of Steve Jobs, wearing his "Keep It Simple" mantra like a badge of honour. "Why complicate things? Just one last-mile link is fine!" he says. Ja, right. 🤦♂️
Now, picture this: A lekker, busy Monday morning at your business. The espresso machine is working overtime, the sales team is gearing up for the week, and finance is trying to process month-end payments. And then – poof! 🫥 Your single last-mile link goes down harder than a load-shedding schedule at Stage 8.
"Uhm, guys? The internet is off," someone mumbles. Panic sets in. The VoIP phones are dead, emails are stuck in limbo, and the finance team is sharpening their pitchforks because payroll is now ‘delayed’.
And where’s Mr. "Keep It Simple" now? Probably in the server room, sweating like a SASSA system on grant payment day. 🥵 "Don’t worry, it will come back soon!" he assures.
But let’s be real – "soon" in South African ISP terms could mean anything from "in 5 minutes" to "after lunch" to "when the Bokke win the World Cup again." 🏆🤷
The Flawed Logic of the One-Link Wonder
Some ouens seem to think that having a single last-mile link is a masterstroke of simplicity. "Less complexity, less management, less cost!" they chirp. But here's the thing – what’s the point of an ‘easy-to-manage’ network if it doesn’t work when you need it most? 😑
This is South Africa, chommies. You wouldn’t drive to the Kruger without a spare tyre, né? Or rock up at a braai without extra boerie, right? So why would you trust your entire business connectivity to ONE link?
A Few Reasons Why One-Link Thinking is P💩
1️⃣ Murphy’s Law is Alive and Kicking – If it can fail, it will fail. And usually at the worst possible time.
2️⃣ No Redundancy, No Business – When that single link drops, so does productivity, sales, and your boss’s blood pressure.
3️⃣ Cost Savings? Think Again – Every hour of downtime costs money. Customers don't care about your "cost savings" when they can’t access your services.
4️⃣ Last Mile in SA is Dodgy at Best – Between cable theft, load shedding, and "scheduled maintenance" (aka ISP naps), you NEED a backup plan.
What’s the Solution? 🛠️
Redundancy, baby! If one link fails, another takes over seamlessly. Whether it's fibre with LTE failover, dual fibre, or SD-WAN magic (hint hint 😉), your business needs resilience, not a game of network roulette.
So next time someone tells you "one link is enough," just ask them this: "Would you go skydiving with just one parachute?" 🎢 If they say yes, maybe they shouldn't be in charge of your business connectivity.
Don't be a One-Link Wonder. Be prepared. Or be offline. The choice is yours. 💡
