Effective IT Crisis Management? Communicate through Netpresenter!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Recently, a worldwide computer outage occurred on Windows computers due to a Crowdstrike update. The result? “Blue Screens of Death” on approximately 8.5 million computers globally, according to microsoft. Airports, hospitals, and other important organizations faced an IT crisis, significantly impacting their operations. Many companies don’t know how to reach their employees in the event of an IT crisis. This is a crucial part of IT crisis management. If systems and PCs are still online, employees are often informed via email or the intranet, which almost guarantees that not everyone sees the warning (in time). If PCs, the network, or both are offline, many organizations are at a loss. It’s time to create redundancy.
Create redundancy with Netpresenter
In IT crisis management, it’s crucial to quickly warn, instruct, and inform employees. To do this in any type of IT crisis, redundancy in communication tools is essential. This means that employees are always reachable, even if PCs and/or the network are down. It’s vital that an organization doesn’t rely on just one solution. Working with isolated tools increases the risk of using the wrong communication tools or having a complete lack of communication options in a crisis.
The solution? An omnichannel platform with various tools for different situations. With years of experience in crisis communication with organizations like Amber Alert, Netpresenter offers the right mix of robust tools. Let’s look at the situations and corresponding tools.
Situation 1: PCs and network online
When PCs and the network are online, the best way to communicate during IT crisis management is through the PC. This is where employees are active and will see warnings, instructions, and updates first. Two highly effective tools for directly informing employees via PCs are the Desktop Ticker and Desktop Alerts.
Desktop Ticker
The Desktop Ticker is a scrolling text bar that appears at the bottom of employees’ screens, above all other applications. This tool quickly grabs attention with its automatically moving character, making it ideal for quickly and clearly communicating important messages without fully interrupting employees’ work. It enables to spread warnings, give brief instructions, and keep employees updated on developments.

Desktop Alerts
Desktop Alerts are pop-up notifications that appear directly on employees’ screens, regardless of the application they are using. This tool is very effective for getting employees’ attention immediately in a crisis, ensuring crucial warnings are not missed. With pre-set scenarios, alerts can be sent out within seconds. Buttons can also be added so employees can acknowledge the warning or view further information.

Situation 2: PCs and/or network offline
If PCs and/or the network go down, mobile devices can take over communication during IT crisis management.
Employee App
For mobile communications, app notifications are the most suitable tool. App notifications are push notifications sent directly to employees’ mobile devices via the employee app. This tool ensures that employees are immediately aware of important updates. Like Desktop Alerts, buttons can be added for more information or read acknowledgements.

Text messaging
But what if some employees don’t have the app installed? There’s always text messaging. Text messages sent directly to employees’ mobile phones effectively inform all employees. It doesn’t matter how old someone’s phone is; as long as you have their number, you can always reach them. This ensures that important information is received quickly and directly, even if no app is installed.

Prepare for optimal IT crisis management
As you can see, an omnichannel platform with various tools is crucial for effective communication during IT crisis management. By building in redundancy, you ensure that you can always reach your employees in the event of any IT crisis. This leads to an adequate internal response and limits the damage.
Prepare for an IT crisis. Request a free demo now to get a good impression of our solutions and discover how we can help your organization.