10/30/2026
Your backup communication channel needs to use a different service from your company email and chat.
If Microsoft 365 goes down, you may lose Outlook and Teams at the same time. If you think an account has been compromised, don't use either one to discuss the response because the attacker may be reading those messages.
Set up a separate way to contact staff during an outage or cyberattack. A managed SMS service or private messaging group can work for a small business.
Check how staff sign in before choosing the service. A backup messaging app that relies on Microsoft for its login may stop working alongside Microsoft 365. Keep a copy of the staff contact list somewhere you can access without your main work account. Include the details for your IT provider and cyber insurer.
Decide who can send an emergency alert and how employees can confirm that the message is genuine. Then test the channel by sending a message and checking who receives it.
