In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. Department of Defense faced a critical strategic challenge: how to build a command-and-control communication system that could survive a nuclear attack. The result of their research was a groundbreaking project called ARPANET, the forerunner of the modern internet. The core principle behind its design—decentralisation and resilience—has become the foundation of our digital world and holds a vital lesson for modern industrial telecommunications.
This article explains why network resilience is a non-negotiable requirement for any high-stakes industrial operation and how the principles of ARPANET can be applied to build networks that never fail.
In today's hyper-connected industrial environment, the network is a critical piece of infrastructure. It carries the data that controls our machinery, monitors our safety systems, and informs our business decisions. However, many industrial networks are designed with a critical flaw: they are not resilient. They often have single points of failure—a single fibre optic cable, a single network switch—that, if they were to fail, could bring the entire operation to a halt. In a high-stakes environment, this fragility is an unacceptable risk.
The designers of ARPANET started with a simple but profound question: how do you build a network that can still function even if parts of it are destroyed? Their solution was a revolutionary new architecture called "packet switching." Instead of relying on a single, dedicated connection between two points, this system broke data down into small "packets," each of which could be routed independently through the network. If one path was destroyed or congested, the packets could automatically find another route to their destination. The network was designed to survive and adapt to damage.
At MPX, our Telecommunications and Network Engineering services are built on this ARPANET principle of resilience by design. We understand that in an industrial environment, network failure is not an option.
Our approach focuses on eliminating single points of failure and building networks that can automatically adapt to disruptions. This includes:
Redundant Architecture
Designing networks with dual fibre paths, multiple wireless links, and automatic failover protocols to ensure that there is always an alternative path for critical data.
Robust Hardware
Selecting and deploying industrial-grade networking equipment that is specifically designed to operate reliably in harsh environments.
Intelligent Routing
Implementing dynamic routing protocols that allow the network to automatically and instantaneously re-route traffic in the event of a link or device failure.
We don't just build networks that are fast; we build networks that are designed to survive.
Assess the resilience of your own network with these three key pillars:
Redundancy
Do we have at least two physically separate paths for our most critical data to travel? Do our key network devices have redundant power supplies?
Diversity
Are our redundant paths truly diverse? For example, are our two fibre optic cables buried in the same trench, where a single excavation could sever both?
Automatic Failover
In the event of a failure, will our network automatically and instantaneously re-route traffic, or will it require manual intervention? For a mission-critical system, the failover must be automatic and seamless.
The same strategic thinking that created a communication network to survive the Cold War is now essential for ensuring the reliability of our modern industrial operations. By embracing the ARPANET principle of resilience by design, you can build a telecommunications infrastructure that is not just a business tool, but a true strategic asset.
Contact MPX to discuss how we can engineer a more resilient and reliable network for your mission-critical operations.
