Your emergency website or ‘dark site’: scalable and fast, all from a single source.
Staying well-informed in times of an emergency
Keep your website accessible and provide your visitors with relevant information quickly
Dark site, Crisis information page or emergency website: there are many names and different approaches for websites that provide emergency information to your citizens, customers or stakeholders. The key point is this: regardless of the name or approach you choose, a central point of contact for website visitors, the press or even your own call centres is often essential for effective crisis communication. This is because in critical situations, the need for information is particularly high.
As the first point of contact is often the website of a city, public authority or company, the unexpectedly high volume of traffic frequently cause the website to crash or respond slowly. The site may even be directly affected by a cybersecurity incident (such as a DDoS attack or the compromise of the company’s network). The result is almost always the same: those affected are unable to access information promptly, or at all. This leads to unnecessary uncertainty, misinformation and rumours.
The solution to this can be: high-availability and scalable hosting, a separate website that takes over in an emergency (a ‘dark site’), or intelligent caching that takes the load off your main website.
You need a ‘dark site’ or an emergency website?
We’re here to help!
An emergency website is a site that is already technically active and visible at all times, serving in advance as a permanent communication channel and for preventative purposes (e.g. providing emergency telephone numbers, contact details and contingency plans). In the event of a crisis or emergency, it is continuously updated and can therefore quickly provide important information – for example, in the event of an IT failure, a cybersecurity incident or a natural disaster. An emergency website is frequently used by public sector organisations to provide their citizens with information at all times, including for preventative purposes.
A ‘dark site’ is a pre-built website – which is continuously monitored and updated, but not publicly visible and is only brought online in the event of an emergency. It forms part of emergency plans and, much like an emergency plan itself, is kept ready to hand in a drawer at all times – prepared, but invisible, until it is needed.
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What exactly is the difference between an emergency website and a dark site?
What is an emergency website?
An emergency website is …
- available as a source of information at all times,
- permanently online and regularly maintained,
- immediately available in the event of a crisis or emergency (e.g. IT failure or natural disaster),
- an established channel of information
What exactly is a ‘dark site’?
A dark site is …
- prepared but not accessible, or only accessible to a limited extent,
- prepared for targeted use in an emergency,
- can be activated very quickly when needed,
- a new source of information that can be made available quickly
What is an emergency website?
An emergency website is …
- available as a source of information at all times,
- permanently online and regularly maintained,
- immediately available in the event of a crisis or emergency (e.g. IT failure or natural disaster),
- an established channel of information
What exactly is a ‘dark site’?
A dark site is …
- prepared but not accessible, or only accessible to a limited extent,
- prepared for targeted use in an emergency,
- can be activated very quickly when needed,
- a new source of information that can be made available quickly
Whether it’s a dark site or an emergency website –
combine our services in a modular way
Hosting
An exceptional situation also requires first-class hosting. Drawing on our many years of experience, our solutions have been specifically designed for use in crisis communications, such as emergency pages or dark sites. They are highly available, scalable and, if required, geo-redundant.
✓ Secure → ISO 27001-certified data centres ✓ Highly available → 24/7 support, monitoring and SLAs ✓ Scalable → If required, geo-redundant across data centres in Germany and Europe, tailored to your requirements
Cloud Cache
Smart caching with geographical redundancy: ideally suited to setups that already have an emergency page and want to reduce the load on their own infrastructure at short notice. Thanks to our cloud cache, your website becomes highly scalable and geographically distributed. At the same time, you benefit from our security measures, such as protection against DDoS attacks, and remain accessible even if your infrastructure fails during a crisis.
✓ Highly scalable
✓ Reduces the load on your infrastructure during times of emergency
✓ Multi-location caching handles high volumes of traffic
✓ Hosted in German & European data centres
CMS
Our lightweight, intuitive and high-performance content management system (CMS) enables you and your colleagues to provide information quickly. Thanks to its modular design, you can tailor your website to your specific needs and easily expand it in the future.
✓ Intuitive → Quick adjustments, even in a emergency
✓ Modular → Create an emergency page in no time
✓ Fast → Optimal loading times, even with high traffic volumes
✓ Independent → Remains accessible even if your own infrastructure fails
Our products are suitable for:
Local Authorities
Why emergency pages are useful for local authorities:
- Direct information for citizens (warnings, contact points, etc.)
- Highly available in a crisis (e.g. severe weather, IT failure, power outage)
- Independent of the main system, scalable and secure to integrate
Businesses
Dark sites and emergency websites for businesses:
- Crisis communication in the event of IT failures, data breaches or a wave of criticism
- Technically secure, highly scalable and GDPR-compliant
- Quick updates for customers, partners, the media and staff
Flexible solutions tailored to your crisis management needs.
Whether you simply need high-availability, streamlined hosting for your dark site or wish to offload traffic from your existing emergency website using our Cloud Cache: our solutions are modular! You only pay for what you need. All components can be tailored precisely to your requirements.
We take care of the technical implementation and ensure reliable operation. This means you remain fully operational immediately in the event of a crisis.
Staying well-informed in times of an emergency
Latest information
In crisis communication, it is essential to provide those affected – as well as the media and the public – with all crucial information first-hand to prevent an information vacuum. This leaves little room for rumours, misinformation and speculation to spread. These may include, for example:- Hotlines or other contact details
- Guidance on how to act (e.g. in an acute emergency)
- Up-to-date news on a current crisis situation
Further information
The need for information among those affected is greater in crisis situations because people are seeking guidance, reassurance and a sense of control. Further information should therefore also be provided via an emergency page. In addition, there may be legal obligations to provide information.
Examples of this might include:
- Frequently asked questions and their answers (FAQs)
- The inclusion of further sources of information (e.g. social media channels)
- Legal notice and data protection information
Guidance and further information
Whether it’s a cyberattack, a natural disaster or an operational disruption – a well-prepared emergency website or ‘dark site’ enables organisations to provide reliable information even in exceptional circumstances. Our solutions help public authorities and businesses to communicate quickly, in a structured and targeted manner in the event of a crisis.
To ensure thorough preparation, it is also worth consulting official recommendations:
At BMI Crisis Communication Guide, you will find valuable information on crisis communication. And this page from the Fraunhofer Institute provides a well-summarised overview of the dark site.
Does your crisis management require a tailored solution
Let us know your requirements and we’ll put together a tailor-made quote for you.
Future-oriented IT solutions that create lasting connections
As a reliable partner in data centre IT and IT security, we focus on long-term, tailored solutions that create value not only today, but well into the future. Since 2010, we have supported organisations of all sizes and across a wide range of industries. Whether hosting, highly available colocation or IT security consulting: we believe in sustainable advice, long-term partnerships and teamwork. We see ourselves as more than just a service provider. Our expertise and commitment become part of the collaboration with your IT team, enabling us to develop tailored solutions together that keep your IT secure, reliable and high-performing.
Trust in experience, innovation and partnership – for IT that delivers more.
Our customers – successful together
Please feel free to contact us
notfallseite@recast-it.com
+49 202 261 590 20
Parts of this website may have been translated using machine translation and are provided for informational purposes only. While we always strive to ensure the accuracy of the translations, we cannot guarantee that they are complete, accurate, or free from errors. If you have any questions or if something is unclear, our staff will be happy to assist you!
In the event of any discrepancy or ambiguity, the German version of the website shall prevail.