Connect. Secure. Manage.
Network Recovery Exercises
Exercise agreed Cisco or Meraki recovery scenarios, testing access, replacement configuration and runbooks without assuming a backup guarantees recovery.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Network recovery exercises test whether people can use the access, backups and records needed to restore service. We plan controlled Cisco and Meraki exercises around agreed risks. The results show what worked and what still needs attention. This can reveal gaps that remain hidden during normal use, without taking needless risks with the live network.
Useful visibility
Monitor service-relevant conditions rather than collecting alerts without ownership.
Controlled change
Keep maintenance, automation and configuration work reviewable and recoverable.
Clear escalation
Connect incidents to the right engineering, provider and business contacts.
Choose a specific recovery scenario
We agree the event being exercised, such as replacing a failed switch, restoring a setup or recovering management access. The scenario identifies the services affected and the components assumed unavailable. A vague instruction to test disaster recovery is too broad to produce a safe, meaningful networking exercise.
The customer sets the business aim and acceptable test conditions. We clarify which recovery targets belong to the network and which depend on apps, storage or another provider. Restoring forwarding does not on its own establish that every business process has resumed or that app data remains consistent.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Select the appropriate exercise method
A tabletop review can test decisions and dependencies without changing equipment. A lab exercise can show chosen technical steps, while a controlled production test provides different evidence and carries greater risk. We choose the method according to the question and record its limitations.
Simulation should not be overstated. A runbook discussed successfully in a meeting has not necessarily been executed on the target platform. Equally, a production fault does not need to be created merely to prove that an engineer can retrieve a backup. The exercise uses the least disruptive method that can answer the agreed question reliably.
A useful starting point
Tell us what is happening.
A short description of the problem is enough for an initial discussion.
Verify prerequisites and safety controls
Before testing, we check access, backups, replacement hardware or setup, software and relevant licences. The plan sets out authorisation, communication, stop conditions and the route back to a known safe state. Participants understand which actions are permitted and which require another decision.
Dependencies on identity, DNS, management network access and other systems are considered clearly. Recovery often becomes difficult because the tools needed to repair the network rely on the same failed path. The exercise should reveal that circular dependency rather than bypass it with undocumented assistance that would not be available during a real incident.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Follow the documented procedure
Participants use the agreed runbook and record where information is missing, ambiguous or wrong. The aim is to assess the procedure, not show that an experienced engineer can improvise around every gap. Any unplanned intervention is captured so the final result does not overstate what the current documentation supported.
We also observe handovers and approvals. A technically correct restoration step may be delayed because no one can authorise it or identify the affected service owner. Those operational findings are as important as the settings and should be assigned actions rather than dismissed as admin issues.
Validate the recovered service
Post-recovery checks confirm the relevant setup, routing, access and app paths. The test should establish that the intended service has returned, not simply that a device has booted or a dashboard reports it online. Security boundaries and management protection are checked as appropriate to the scenario.
The resulting state is compared with the approved baseline. Recovery can introduce temporary settings or an older setup. So the team needs to know which differences remain. Any work required to restore normal resilience or remove a workaround is recorded before the exercise is closed.
Record timings and limits honestly
Measured durations are reported with the exercise conditions, available resources and any steps performed in advance. A lab result with prepared hardware should not be presented as a guaranteed field replacement time. The report distinguishes active engineering time from waiting for approvals, equipment or external assistance.
Untested scenarios remain visible. The customer can use the findings to decide whether more exercises, different spares or a revised architecture are needed. A successful recovery of one representative device does not prove the same outcome for every platform and failure combination in the estate.
Turn findings into better readiness
The action plan addresses missing access, documentation, software, monitoring and responsibility gaps. Runbooks are updated and significant corrections are retested where appropriate. The exercise becomes part of an improvement cycle rather than a one-off event used only to claim that recovery has been tested.
MCI can plan exercises within network operational assurance or as a focused engagement. The scope, safety controls and evidence are agreed with your team, providing a practical assessment of Cisco and Meraki recovery readiness without promising outcomes beyond the scenarios and conditions actually shown.
Talk to a specialist
Need a specialist view?
Tell us what is affected, what changed and what your team has already checked. A short outline is enough to start.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
Existing customers should use their agreed support and escalation channels. This form is for service enquiries, not a monitored emergency ticket.
Tell us what you need.
A short outline is enough. Please do not include passwords or sensitive network details.
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