In today’s rapidly evolving technological world, IT systems play a crucial role in the operations of organisations worldwide. Unfortunately, IT outages occur even in the largest and best-protected companies.
On 19 July 2024 users around the globe experienced one of the biggest IT failures in recent years. An error in a CrowdStrike Falcon software update caused worldwide disruption that affected millions of Windows devices. As a result, many businesses faced operational paralysis, demonstrating how critical IT systems are to modern business.
Effective risk-management practices
Analysing global outages can provide valuable lessons to help prevent similar problems in the future. Companies must implement robust risk-management and business-continuity practices. Key steps include:
- Disaster-recovery planning (DRP): an effective recovery plan must cover backups, replication and post-incident procedures.
- Regular DRP testing: because technologies and resources continually change, regular testing and updates enable fast response when outages occur.
- Understanding RPO and RTO: the Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective define the maximum acceptable data loss and the time required to restore systems after an outage.
Information-security management
Effective management of information assets and IT systems is vital to ensure business continuity and minimise losses from unforeseen events.
Collaboration with experts plays a key role. During incidents such as the CrowdStrike outage, external specialists can significantly accelerate system recovery.
Physical protection of IT infrastructure
In March 2021 a fire at an OVH data centre in France destroyed many servers and caused data loss, highlighting the importance of physical safeguards. Digital protection is essential, but physical threats can be equally serious.
Fire-suppression systems, monitoring and access control are critical. Smoke detectors, automatic extinguishers, video surveillance and advanced access systems—such as keycards and biometrics—can prevent incidents before they escalate.
The CrowdStrike outage – a lesson for the future
In the digital era every company, regardless of size, depends on its IT systems. The CrowdStrike incident was a reminder of the importance of preparation and risk management.
Implementing best practices and continually improving business-continuity plans are key to minimising the impact of unexpected events.
As technology advances, threats also grow, so it is essential to refine procedures and invest in modern protective solutions to avoid costly IT failures.