How pen and paper comes to the rescue in an IT crisis

One company that understands the value of paper is Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company.

2019, Hackers target Hydro Ransomware disabled more than 20,000 computers among employees. Hydro’s bosses decided not to pay a ransom to restore access, meaning 35,000 employees in 40 countries must temporarily find other ways to work.

For example, Hydro spokesman Halvor Moran recalls digging out old binders from the basement with instructions on how to produce specific aluminum products. At some locations, staff printed order requests before the cyberattack occurred, which was purely accidental.

“Their creativity … is tremendous,” Mr. Moran said. Although the computers holding customer information and company data were locked, fortunately, the factory equipment was not affected by the ransomware. At some factories, employees purchased computers and printers from local retailers so they could print information for factory workers. A vintage office suite comes in handy. “We actually had to dust off some old faxes,” Mr. Moran recalled.

These solutions allowed the business to stay afloat despite production declines of up to 50% at some plants. As Mr. Moran said, “You need to do what you need to do.” On reflection, he suggested that companies might want to keep printed copies of key information, such as internal phone numbers or lists, so that some work can continue even in the event of a large-scale cyberattack.