It’s a common belief that high availability and disaster recovery are almost like a comprehensive insurance policy. Buy the right hardware, configure replication, and your continuity is assured. That story sells well in boardrooms, but anyone who has run a real failover test knows the truth: the first test almost always fails. Sometimes the second and third do too.
The uncomfortable reality is that most failovers don’t fail because of IBM i, storage, or hardware. They fail due to undocumented, messy networking and processes that are unvalidated.
Why the Myth Persists
Executives often assume simple cause and effect:
- Replication is running; therefore, we’ve guaranteed continuity.
- Backup hardware is in place; therefore, failover will succeed.
- Documentation exists; therefore, we understand the process.
On paper, these appear to be safe assumptions. In practice, they collapse as soon as you attempt a live test. What this means for you is that continuity is more than a diagram or checklist. It’s a system that only works if the network and people around it are prepared.
Networking and Documentation Are the Real Killers
Users need to do multiple failovers to test their systems and processes. In most cases, your first, even your second, sometimes your third test doesn’t work, because it highlights errors in your networking system.
Common failure points we see repeatedly include:
- Incorrectly documented IP addresses.
- Firewalls reconfigured by another team without notice.
- Routers and switches are left running outdated firmware.
- Single employees holding critical setup knowledge in their heads.
Replication may be fine, but if no one else can connect to it, continuity breaks. What this means for you is that failover preparation is less about servers and more about cleaning up dependencies across your organization.
The Timeshare Company That Couldn’t Connect
One hospitality client ran dozens of timeshare locations across the country, each with its own independent network. When they attempted to activate continuity, replication succeeded. The problem was that not a single site could connect. Firewalls were antiquated, routers were outdated, and documentation was incomplete.
The result was a continuity plan that appeared perfect on paper but ultimately failed in reality. Only after a major networking overhaul (standardizing configurations, updating devices, and centralizing documentation) could failover succeed.
What does this mean for you? If your environment has grown organically over the years, you likely have hidden landmines that won’t appear until a failover test forces the issue.
The Mining Company Firewall Failure
Another client, a mining company in Arizona, called in a panic: “Our computers are down.” A few questions uncovered the real culprit: they had installed a new IP phone system, and the installer modified the firewall. That single change broke their connectivity.
The cloud environment was healthy, and replication was intact. The continuity plan failed due to an undocumented network change. Proper testing and documentation would have caught it. What this means for you is that small, local changes can undo even the strongest replication strategy.
Why Failover Testing Matters
Failovers aren’t about hardware; they are about process. Each test surfaces blind spots, such as:
- Undocumented IP addresses.
- Dependencies on retired or unavailable staff.
- Security rules no one remembers changing.
The pattern is clear: your first failover almost always fails. Multiple tests are non-negotiable because each round closes gaps and builds a playbook your team can trust.
That is where working with a managed hosting partner changes the equation. We run failover tests routinely, with documentation and audit binders included. If you’ve been putting off testing due to resource constraints, let’s talk.
Cloud Hosting Reduces the Guesswork
A managed provider brings structure that most internal IT teams can’t maintain:
- Regular, documented failover tests.
- Proactive identification of networking gaps.
- Audit-ready evidence binders.
- Decades of experience across thousands of failovers.
Instead of relying on one overstretched IT director, you get a team that treats failovers as routine. What this means for you is a continuity plan that doesn’t hinge on a single person’s memory or spare time.
The Bottom Line
The myth that high availability and disaster recovery will “just work” is one of the most dangerous assumptions in the IT industry. Networking quirks, firewall misconfigurations, and missing documentation are far more likely to kill continuity than hardware failures.
If your business hasn’t run (and rerun) failover tests, you don’t have a continuity plan. You have wishful thinking. And wishful thinking won’t pass an audit. Start your conversation with us today.
