Review: The CrowdStrike Incident
Nearly two weeks ago, a faulty update from CrowdStrike rendered millions of computers inoperable. As a result, part of the world came to a halt: thousands of flights were canceled, critical surgeries in hospitals were postponed, governments became incapacitated, and supermarkets were closed, among other disruptions.
Interestingly, Microsoft stated that 8.5 million Windows devices were affected by the IT outage, representing less than 1% of all Windows machines worldwide.
Rising Threat of Cyber Attacks
Assuming this IT outage was an isolated incident is likely a mistake. Due to the heavy reliance of many companies on a few global cloud providers, the interconnectedness of applications and systems, and the increasing number of cyberattacks, larger IT outages, and cybersecurity incidents are expected to become more frequent in the future.
The Underestimated Danger of a Mono-Infrastructure
Many companies underestimate the risks associated with dependency on Microsoft and its mono-infrastructure. Organizations should consider the consequences for operations, customers, and revenue if Microsoft applications were to be unavailable for a day. Many companies would be unable to operate and suffer significant damage.
One can only imagine the global consequences if more than 1% of all Windows machines were impacted by an IT outage.
A Wake-Up Call: Business Continuity Management
The CrowdStrike incident should serve as a wake-up call to review the resilience of critical IT applications and systems. Companies must ensure they have robust business continuity plans in place, to protect against the consequences of an IT outage.
Conclusion: Proactive Preparation Is Essential
IT outages can happen to anyone and are sometimes unavoidable. However, through proactive planning and reliable communication solutions like Teamwire, companies can minimize risks and strengthen their resilience. Now is the time to take action and implement necessary security measures.
