Sep 30, 2026 · 38 min
Cyber crises demand offline plans, not just digital playbooks
The guardrails go to court.
Organizations may lose the networks and communications they rely on precisely when they need to coordinate, document decisions, and respond effectively.
- 1Crisis plans must specify how teams communicate and operate when networks and normal systems are unavailable.
- 2Tabletop exercises expose hidden dependencies when crisis managers and overlooked stakeholders participate repeatedly.
- 3Offline backups, printed procedures, and real-time incident timelines strengthen accountability when digital tools fail.
Don't miss
Dan Olemire explains why offline backups, printed procedures, file cabinets, and even fax machines can remain essential during a digital crisis.
The brief
The episode moves from SpaceX’s Starship reaching orbit and deploying 26 Starlink satellites to persistent cybersecurity weaknesses in the U.S. water sector.
Dan Olemire argues that crisis planning must cover execution, not just intent: organizations need workable contact methods and procedures for operating without networks.
Tabletop exercises become more useful when crisis-management personnel and overlooked stakeholders join recurring sessions that reveal dependencies and organizational gaps.
The standout advice is deliberately low-tech: preserve offline backups, printed procedures, file cabinets, and even fax machines for moments when digital systems fail.
Olemire also urges teams to document actions and decisions from the first moments of an incident, turning response records into tools for accountability and learning.
