30 Mar Emergency VPN link over 4G
Emergency VPN link over 4G
On March 20, 2020, the UK government announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. Amid this critical time, one of the country’s major food distribution warehouses suddenly became digitally isolated due to a failure in its primary internet connection, cutting off communication with its head office.
The Risk: Business Continuity at Stake
This unexpected outage threatened to disrupt logistics and operations for one of the largest UK supermarket chains. Without a stable internet connection, the warehouse risked losing access to core business systems, coordination platforms, and essential inventory data—jeopardizing food distribution during a national crisis.
Overview
Challenges:
- Total loss of Internet connection
- Total loss of tunnel link between sites
Emergency Requirements:
- Reliable Wireless Internet
- IPSec VPN connection
Solution:
- A bonded 4G router
- Netgate SG-3100, IPSec capable
Our Response: Fast-Tracked IT Intervention
Within hours, IT AND GENERAL, in collaboration with its sister company XCommNet, was called into action. After an urgent conference call with the client that same evening, our expert team rapidly designed and deployed a robust interim connectivity solution:
Bonded 4G Router Deployment: We installed a bonded 4G router, delivering a high-availability wireless internet connection using multiple mobile networks to guarantee reliability.
Enterprise-Grade Network Appliance: We integrated a pfSense-powered Netgate SG-3100 appliance, offering secure and flexible VPN tunneling to restore communication with the head office.
Overnight Configuration and Testing: Our team worked through the night to configure, test, and implement the entire solution—minimizing downtime and maximizing operational resilience.
The Result: Warehouse Connectivity Fully Restored
In just a few hours, a secure emergency VPN link over 4G was fully operational. The critical connection between the warehouse and the supermarket’s central systems was restored without delay.
The Outcome: Downtime Averted, Operations Stabilized
Thanks to our swift intervention:
- The impact on the supermarket chain was minimal.
- The warehouse resumed operations with virtually no disruption.
- The client was given valuable breathing room to troubleshoot and resolve the primary internet failure at their own pace.