Why a power cut turns into an IT crisis
Nowadays, a prolonged power cut affects almost all of an organisation’s core processes – particularly IT:
- Servers, platforms and cloud services come to a standstill.
- The internet, mobile networks and digital communications break down.
- IT-supported processes in logistics, production and customer service come to an abrupt halt.
It is therefore essential to develop structured contingency plans that define:
- which IT services are critical,
- how operations will be organised without digital systems,
- which roles will be activated,
- and how communication can be maintained despite a breakdown in systems.
Five steps every organisation should take
1. Identify critical IT services
The first step is a thorough analysis of all IT-supported processes:
- Which applications are business-critical?
- What dependencies exist between systems?
- Which services must be restored first in the event of an emergency?
The results form the basis for all further measures – including priorities during emergency operations.
2. Develop IT contingency plans with clearly defined roles
A good contingency plan answers three key questions:
- What measures take effect immediately following a failure?
Examples: switching to emergency power, utilising UPS resources, activating manual fallback processes. - Who is responsible for which tasks?
Clearly defined roles ensure that responsibilities are clearly assigned both within the IT team and across business units and the crisis management team. - How will communication take place without digital systems?
Contingency plans should include physical meeting points, communication procedures and alternative channels.
An essential component: coordinating joint contingency plans with key customers, suppliers and partners, including designated meeting points for initial communication.
3. Create runbooks for the recovery process
As soon as power and networks are available again, the IT recovery must not take place in a disorganised manner. Runbooks ensure a clear sequence of actions:
- Start up the basic infrastructure (network, virtualisation, storage).
- Check the integrity of systems and data.
- Gradually bring critical applications online.
- Reconnect business departments according to priority.
This structure prevents further damage and speeds up the return to normal operations.
4. Ensure communication security
As digital communication often breaks down completely during a power cut, the following must be clearly defined:
- which people are to meet where,
- which physical briefing sessions are to take place,
- which alternative channels are to be used (e.g. secure messaging apps, satellite phones),
- how information is to be passed on to management, staff and external groups.
Emergency procedures agreed with partners and customers also ensure secure initial contact, even without functioning IT systems.
5. Carry out emergency drills
Contingency planning is ineffective if it exists only on paper. That is why it should be practised regularly:
- How quickly can the crisis management team be on site and operational?
- Does the emergency IT setup work as planned?
- Are roles and responsibilities clear?
- How well do offline processes work?
- How effective is communication without digital tools?
Exercises reveal weaknesses and ensure that procedures are second nature in an emergency.
Practical example: What a prepared scenario might look like
A Berlin-based public authority provides citizen services and operates a field service. Following a power cut, neither specialist procedures nor communication systems are functioning. Normal operations are severely restricted.
A well-prepared procedure might look like this:
- T−0 to T+1 hour:
The agency’s management activates the crisis management team. Staff meet at the pre-defined physical meeting points. Alternative means of communication are used. Coordination with partner agencies takes place on site based on joint contingency plans. - T+2 hours:
Emergency power supplies ensure the central infrastructure remains operational. Critical services such as the population register or operational support are stabilised in emergency mode. Staff work using prepared offline forms. - T+6 hours:
Field staff use offline apps or paper-based assignments. Data is documented locally and digitised at a later date. - T+24 hours:
Regular situation briefings take place in person. Information is distributed to managers and key departments via defined channels. - T+48 hours:
The orderly IT restart in accordance with official runbooks begins. - T+5 days:
Full recovery. The authority carries out a structured ‘lessons learnt’ analysis.
Result: The authority remains operational, can continue to deliver essential services and retains control over the situation and communication.
Conclusion: IT resilience is essential today
The Berlin power cut demonstrates just how vulnerable modern organisations are. Anyone who fails to prepare systematically for a scenario such as a ‘power cut’ risks system failures, data loss and a loss of control.
An effective IT contingency plan requires:
- clear processes
- defined roles
- offline-capable communication
- robust technical and organisational measures
- regular tests and drills
This is the only way to ensure digital resilience and operational capability, even under extreme conditions.
Materna supports you in this with tried-and-tested business continuity management methods, IT expertise and comprehensive security concepts, enabling you to manage crises with confidence and ensure IT operational capability.
Read more: Materna Business Continuity Management
