What is network redundancy, why it matters, and how to build it

Uptime Institute’s Annual Outage Analysis shows that the cost of IT and data outages is increasing and over two-thirds of these outages lead to over $100,000 in financial losses. 

There’s a simple way to mitigate these risks while minimizing financial loss and improving network efficiency—building a fully redundant network primed to handle hardware failures, software bugs, and malicious attacks. 

In this article, we’ll cover the ins and outs of network redundancy, including:

• What is network redundancy?
• Why network redundancy matters
• How network redundancy works
• Common types of network redundancy
• How to build network redundancy
• Challenges in implementing network redundancy

What is network redundancy?

Network redundancy ensures consistent network availability by duplicating critical parts. It keeps your network running smoothly, with backup parts ready to take over if something fails. 

Think of it as a spare tire for your car—if you get a flat tire, you can quickly replace it with the spare, allowing you to continue your journey without being stranded. 

Some key components of network redundancy include:

• Failover: Automatic switch to a standby system if the primary system fails.
• Load balancing: Distributes network traffic across multiple servers to optimize resource use and prevent overload.
• Redundancy: Aims to provide automatic processes for moving to backup equipment and procedures, such as automatically moving to standby equipment that is ready to go.
• Geographic redundancy: Distributes resources across different locations to protect against site-specific failures.
• High availability: Ensures system uptime and access to critical resources.

These components work together to minimize downtime and maintain network performance.

Why network redundancy matters

Network redundancy is critical because it helps businesses continue their operations without interruption, even when parts fail. Some additional advantages of building redundant networks include:

• Business continuity: Keeps business operations running smoothly even when a failure occurs.
• Risk management: Reduces the risk of network failure and data loss due to hardware failure, software bugs, or external attacks.
• Cost savings: Reduces downtime costs and potential revenue loss from network outages.
• Performance optimization: Balances network traffic to prevent overloads.
• Scalability: Allows the network to handle growth and increased demand.
• Disaster recovery: Provides a quick recovery path in case of major failures or disasters.
• Customer satisfaction: Maintains reliable service for customers.

Network redundancy is critical for maintaining reliable and efficient operations. 

How network redundancy works

A fully redundant network will address three key areas to ensure smooth operation, even when failures or attacks occur. The different areas of redundancy are:

• Hardware redundancy: Involves duplicating physical components to prevent single points of failure. This includes having extra servers, backup power supplies, and redundant network switches.

• Software redundancy: Uses multiple instances of software to ensure continuous service. You can accomplish this by running applications on different servers or using virtualization to create multiple virtual instances.

• Data redundancy: This involves storing copies of data in multiple locations to protect against loss or corruption. Regular backups and cloud storage are a few ways to accomplish this. 

Each type of redundancy helps maintain the availability, integrity, and reliability of a network by addressing different potential failure points.

To implement redundancy and boost reliability, businesses use various technologies and protocols, including:

• Clustering: Groups multiple servers to work together, providing high availability and load balancing. For example, failover clusters switch to a backup server if one fails, while load-balancing clusters share traffic across several servers to prevent overload.

• Redundant power supplies: Uses multiple power sources for continuous power supply. For example, dual power supplies use two power sources to keep the server running if one fails while Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) provide backup power to keep devices running during a power outage.

• Redundant network links: Uses multiple network connections to prevent a single point of failure. For example, link aggregation combines multiple network connections to act as one, increasing speed and reliability.

• Protocols: Provide automatic failover and traffic distribution. Some examples include Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), and Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP).

Understanding and applying these types of redundancies and technologies builds robust, reliable, and uninterrupted networks.

Common types of network redundancy

Implementing different types of redundancies in a network ensures reliability and minimizes downtime. Let’s take a look at some common types: 

Multiple Spanning Trees (MST)

Multiple Spanning Trees (MST) prevent network loops and enhance redundancy by creating multiple paths for data. 

Imagine a city's traffic system with several bridges connecting different areas. If one bridge closes, you can use another bridge to reach your destination. 

Similarly, MST uses multiple paths to automatically reroute data through an alternative link if a primary link fails, ensuring continuous network operation. 

This setup balances the load and reduces the risk of a single point of failure, keeping the network running smoothly.

Diverse trunking

Diverse trunking creates multiple network paths between devices, like having several lanes on a highway. If one lane is closed, cars can still travel smoothly using the other lanes.

In a network, diverse trunking means connecting multiple cables or links between devices. If one link fails, traffic can still flow through the remaining links, ensuring continuous and fast communication. 

This setup increases bandwidth and reliability, preventing network slowdowns or outages.

Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)

Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) directs data through the most efficient routes using labels, like a mail sorting system. 

Imagine sorting mail by attaching labels with delivery routes. Instead of checking the address at each stop, the label tells each post office where to send the mail next. 

Similarly, MPLS attaches labels to data packets, routing them based on short path labels rather than long network addresses. 

This reduces delays and speeds up data transfer. And if a path fails, MPLS quickly reroutes data using other paths, providing fast failover and optimized network performance.

How to build network redundancy

Plan and analyze

Step one is to identify critical components and assess potential vulnerabilities. A good systematic approach to accomplish this is:

• Map out your entire network, listing all devices and connections.
• Identify which components are critical for business operations, like key servers and network links.
• Analyze potential risks, such as single points of failure, by considering what would happen if each component fails.
• Prioritize components for redundancy based on their impact on the network.

In practice, this could involve creating a network diagram and highlighting crucial servers and connections. Then mark areas where a failure would majorly disrupt operations to zero in on critical components.

Since Meter designs custom networks for each customer, you’ll have access to a comprehensive plan of your space, including devices and connections. 

With a ready-to-go network diagram, you’ll save time and make the planning and analysis step much easier. 

Implement redundant components

Once you have a plan and a solid idea of key starting points, choose appropriate hardware and software to support redundancy. You might use a combination of these tactics:

• Add backup hardware for components that need redundancy, such as critical servers and network switches. Purchase and install additional hardware to mirror the primary components.
• ‍Install extra servers and routers that can take over the workload if a primary server fails. Set up extra routers to create alternate pathways for network traffic.
• ‍Equip servers with dual power supplies in case one power supply fails. Connect each power supply to a separate electrical circuit to ensure power continuity.

In practice, the blend of hardware and software can vary based on your business needs. 

Regardless of your setup size, installing extra routers for additional network paths and using dual power supplies in each server is a smart idea in case of router failure or power outages. 

Configure failover mechanisms

Set up automatic switching to backup systems when primary ones fail to ensure continuous network connectivity. Here’s how to do it:

• Identify critical systems that need failover support, like key servers and network connections.
• Set up failover clusters to automatically switch to backup servers when the primary ones fail.
• Implement redundant routing protocols like HSRP or VRRP to ensure routers can take over if the main router fails.
• Configure redundant routing to provide multiple paths for network traffic.

In a real-life scenario, this might look like a retail store setting up failover clusters for its web servers, so if one server fails, another takes over immediately. 

They might also use redundant routing to provide multiple paths for data, ensuring that customer orders are processed smoothly without any interruptions. This setup boosts customer satisfaction by maintaining high availability and reliability. 

Conduct regular testing and maintenance

Make sure redundancy systems are always ready to take over with regular checks and maintenance. Add these crucial steps to your maintenance plan: 

• Schedule routine checks to verify that backup servers, routers, and power supplies are functioning correctly.
• Perform failover tests to confirm that automatic switching works smoothly. 
• Regularly update and replace aging hardware to prevent failures. 

This proactive approach helps identify and fix issues before they cause downtime, ensuring continuous network reliability.

Monitor performance and adjust

Track the health and efficiency of your systems with network monitoring tools. 

The Meter platform includes automated network health monitoring, which notifies the support team if the network goes down, regardless of the time of day (or night!). 

This helps you analyze the data to identify issues or failing components and make necessary adjustments, such as replacing faulty hardware. Our software updates occur during off-hours, and hardware upgrades are part of your subscription.

Challenges in implementing network redundancy

Redundancy naturally complicates things. Extra hardware, more planning, and additional complex processes can pose challenges for businesses, like:

• Cost implications: Additional hardware, software, and maintenance costs can be significant.
• Complexity of setup: Requires careful planning and specialized knowledge to make sure all components work together without issue.
• Ongoing management: Continuous monitoring, updates, and testing are necessary but can be a drain on time and resources. 

Balancing redundancy with cost-efficiency and performance involves strategic planning. Before you dive into creating a redundant network, consider:

• Identifying the most critical parts of your network that need redundancy.
• Investing in scalable solutions that can grow with your business.
• Prioritizing cost-effective technologies like cloud-based backups.
• Reviewing and improving your setup to make sure it meets requirements without unnecessary expenses.

Meter tackles these challenges head-on by providing affordable, custom solutions and 24/7 operations. 

Need a detailed network diagram to identify critical devices? We’ve got one for you. 

How about extra hardware? Included in your subscription. 

Don’t have time to constantly monitor your network and run updates? Let us. 

Next steps: Let Meter handle your network

Implementing network redundancy can save you time, money, and a whole lot of unhappy customers if your network goes down. 

But if you don’t have the time or resources to plan, install, and monitor a redundant network, Meter’s cloud-managed solutions make thinking about network redundancy, well, redundant.

We provide an end-to-end solution that handles everything from design and installation to ongoing maintenance and support. Meter’s hardware and software capabilities support network redundancy with:

• Multi-WAN capabilities: Improves failover by spreading network traffic across all active connections using a round-robin method. This boosts network reliability, increases speed, and makes the best use of your ISP connections.
• ‍Automatic failover: We support multiple ISPs for failover. We’ll work with you to determine which configuration is best for your company.
• ‍Upgrades and relocations included: New hardware is included in your monthly bill. Moving to a new space? We’ll move your entire network over for free.
• ‍24/7 operations: Remote monitoring and consistent support means your network is always available and performant. We’ll help you sort out the small stuff with phone support and immediately send someone over to handle the tough problems. 

Try a demo of Meter and see how simple it can be to create an efficient, cost-effective redundant network.