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Writer's pictureVistanet

Business Phone Hacking Happens: How to Have an Emergency Communication Plan in Place

Don’t fall victim to hacking, it’s become more prevalent than ever. Our world relies heavily on the internet and major phone line carriers so what happens if ALL the major communication companies are affected and lines go down? Well, like us, you have an emergency plan in place so you can go on with business as usual.

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Hacking Comes in All Sizes

Widespread hacking of phone systems can occur small or on a much larger scale so it is best practice to be as prepared as possible. When major phone companies like Spectrum, At&T and Verizon, Ring Central are impacted by a single hacking, we pay attention. Last year, a third of the country’s phone lines were taken down by a single incident, it lasted about 48 hours with lingering effects up to a week. It can happen again, be ready when it does.


To be sure our clients know what to do when VoIP systems fail due to a security breach, we’ve outlined below what you can or shouldn’t do in this situation. Start with having a backup plan and an alternative form of communication for your business customers/clients. Vistanet is working hard to make sure our clients are prepared and know what they can do when systems are effectively down.


What did Vistanet do? We email all of our customers as soon as possible.


What to Do When Lines are Down?

  1. Don’t panic.

  2. Communicate and be transparent with your customers via email, social media direct messaging or What’s App to fill them in on the situation. There’s nothing worse than being left in the dark, so having this in place will save you from a lot of explaining after the fact.

How to Prepare Ahead of Time

  • Clean up and organize your contacts list or company’s CRM list to formulate the proper messaging when giving instructions.

  • Separate your customers, employees or vendors, or prospects into multiple lists – if necessary.

  • Make sure your employees have knowledge and access to a hard copy preparedness plan in case of an emergency hacking situation.


If another hacking occurs like the one last year, Vistanet is here to help you. We, as a business, also reviewed our processes and client lists which resulted in a few changes. Before there is an emergency, have a plan in place for communication. We do have redundancy built into our networks, meaning, we are prepared to take on hacking of any size by having multi forms of communication. Make sure you do too.


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