The Founding Fathers Needed an IT Department: From Valley Forge to Yorktown, Here’s What Modern IT Could Have Fixed

On July 4, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation in 1776. While declaring independence was a historic achievement, the hard part came afterward.

The Revolutionary War was filled with communication breakdowns, logistical nightmares and operational setbacks that tested the Continental Army at every turn.

It got us thinking: What if the Founding Fathers had access to modern managed IT services?

With a little imagination, here are five Revolutionary War challenges that might have played out very differently with The SynchroNet Way.

Key Takeaways

1. Business continuity challenges aren’t new. Organizations have always needed ways to recover from setbacks and keep moving forward.
2. Reliable communication, secure information sharing and remote access are critical to operational success.
3. Modern managed IT services help businesses reduce downtime, improve collaboration and adapt more quickly when challenges arise.

1. Surrender of Fort Washington

Things weren’t going very well for the Americans in 1776, especially around New York. General George Washington’s Continental Army suffered defeat after defeat, culminating in the loss of Fort Washington and New York City itself. Nearly 3,000 American soldiers were captured along with critical provisions, 34 cannons, two howitzers and a large store of ammunition. These were losses the fledgling army could ill afford.

How Modern IT Could Have Helped

When resources are limited and there is little margin for error, there are some things you simply can’t afford to lose. That’s why business continuity planning is so important. 

Washington probably would have appreciated a way to move his forces out of harm’s way and get them back up and running quickly, much like modern businesses rely on backup and recovery solutions to keep operations moving.

2. Valley Forge

Washington led about 12,000 men to camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in December 1777. Freezing conditions, inadequate clothing, poor shelter and severe food shortages claimed the lives of about 2,500 Continental soldiers. By spring, thousands more were unfit for duty.

How Modern IT Could Have Helped

If there was ever a situation where employees would have benefited from remote work, Valley Forge was it. With cloud computing and hosted solutions, teams can communicate, collaborate and access critical resources from virtually anywhere.

 While technology couldn’t have solved the winter weather problem, it certainly would have made coordination a lot easier.

3. Defeat at Charleston

The year was 1780. General Benjamin Lincoln found his Continental Army of 5,500 in South Carolina facing a British force of 11,000, so he decided to retreat to Charleston. Though the town appeared defensible, it was located at the end of a peninsula, leaving the Americans with no practical way to escape. The British navy then bombarded the city from the sea until Lincoln was forced to surrender.

How Modern IT Could Have Helped

One of the biggest benefits of managed IT services is identifying risks before they become major problems. Through proactive monitoring, risk assessments and strategic planning, organizations can make more informed decisions and avoid preventable setbacks.

While it may be a stretch to say modern IT could have changed the outcome entirely, a thorough risk assessment likely would have highlighted the risks of defending a peninsula with limited options for retreat. At the very least, someone probably would have noticed the British navy before it became a problem.

4. Working with Lafayette

History buffs know how the French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette played a key role in the American victory at Yorktown in 1781. However, in the months leading up to the battle, Washington was forced to keep Lafayette in the dark about parts of his strategy for fear British spies would intercept communications. At one point, Lafayette became so frustrated that he believed he was being sidelined from the action entirely.

How Modern IT Could Have Helped

Clear and secure communication is critical to any successful operation. A secure message from General Washington, similar to the encrypted communications and email security solutions businesses rely on today, could have gone a long way toward easing Lafayette’s frustration.

He would have received his instructions in a timely manner, without the threat of interception by British spies.

5. The Fort Ontario Failure

In 1783, two years after the British surrendered at Yorktown, they were still holding Fort Ontario in upstate New York. Washington sent 500 men to launch a surprise attack and drive the redcoats out. Unfortunately, the American detachment got lost and couldn’t find the fort. After wandering around long enough to alert the British, the mission was abandoned without a shot being fired. It would be another 13 years before the British finally left.

How Modern IT Could Have Helped

Sometimes your people are on the road and need quick access to information. That’s where remote access solutions come in. Reliable connectivity allows teams to access critical resources, communicate with colleagues and get the information they need wherever they happen to be working.

With secure remote access and a map, the Americans may have had a much easier time finding their destination.

Some Problems Never Change

The Founding Fathers accomplished quite a bit without managed IT services. But it’s hard not to wonder how much easier things might have been with secure communications, cloud computing and a solid business continuity plan.

Fortunately, your business doesn’t have to fight those battles alone.

Contact SynchroNet today to schedule a Business Continuity Assessment and identify gaps in your current plan.

Have a happy, safe and historic Independence Day, as we celebrate America250 together!