The Optus outage early November 2023 serves as a critical reminder for businesses, the importance of being prepared for unforeseen disruptions. This incident not only affected individuals but also had a significant impact on businesses, especially small enterprises. 

Our CEO, Laurence Buchanan, experienced this first-hand. During the outage, he visited a local cafe, only to find their EFTPOS system down. The cafe had not considered the possibility of a network provider like Optus failing. This situation highlights a common oversight in small business operations. 

The Lesson 

For businesses, especially small ones, relying on a single EFTPOS system can be risky. Diversifying payment systems, such as having EFTPOS machines connected to different banks and 4G networks, can provide a vital safety net. This approach ensures that if one network fails, another can keep the business running. 

BNS Group’s Approach 

At BNS Group, we specialise in creating robust enterprise SMS server software for large corporations, including Suncorp Group. 

Our software is designed with high availability (HA) in mind, ensuring uninterrupted service at every level, including: AWS\Azure availability zones\regions and network carriers. This same principle of resilience and redundancy can be applied to various business operations, including payment systems. 

Enterprise SMS Solutions 

Our Enterprise SMS Solutions offer a prime example of integrating HA into business practices. These solutions provide reliable, adaptable SMS infrastructure that scales with your business, ensuring continuous communication even in challenging circumstances. 

Laurence shared “The Optus outage serves as a wake-up call for businesses of all sizes. Implementing dual EFTPOS systems is a step towards safeguarding operations. Likewise, incorporating BNS Group’s Enterprise SMS Solutions can further strengthen your business’s communication resilience. It’s time for businesses to think ahead and prepare for the unexpected”.