For years, I have been sounding the horn about good cybersecurity practices because a breach can cause businesses to come to a halt, costing companies millions or even billions of dollars. But the reality is there are a lot of things that can cause tech systems to go down: system failure, human error, power and internet outages, or an update, as was the case on July 19, 2024, when airlines, banks, hospitals, and other businesses around the globe slowed. This brings up an interesting question: What would you do if your tech systems went offline? But perhaps the bigger question is what would we do if we were not connected? I think these questions go hand in hand.
On July 19, 2024, at 04:09 UTC, as part of ongoing operations, CrowdStrike released a sensor configuration update to Windows systems, according to the company. Sensor configuration updates are an ongoing part of the protection mechanisms of the Falcon platform. This configuration update triggered a logic error, resulting in a system crash and blue screen on impacted systems.
The sensor configuration update that caused the system crash was remediated on Friday, July 19, 2024, 05:27 UTC. This particular issue was not the result of or related to a cyberattack.
Again, this is only one example. Many things can cause tech systems to go down. Recently power outages—because of failing infrastructure and rising natural weather events—are also becoming more common and could potentially shut down businesses for days.
While preparing for prevention is a good first step to ensuring your businesses stay online, we all know we only have control over so much. The supply chain is large and vast and Mother Nature has a mind of her own. In addition to preparing for prevention, we must also come up with contingency plans in case our businesses do in fact go offline. Again, all of this brings us back to the question of the day: What would you do if your tech systems went offline? We are a society that dreams big and wants to be connected 24/7. Let’s explore this question in depth today.
Coming Up with Contingency Plans
In addition to having good prevention plans, companies must also have good contingency plans. Let’s consider the airlines as an example. If all the tech systems grinded to a halt, how would the airlines continue to move people through the air? Travelers can’t attend funerals. Wedding plans are halted. Family vacations are delayed. Airlines around the world are in disarray. So, the answer to this question is rather simple: the way they did before the tech systems. Of course, this is easier said than done.
Some key questions must be considered to create contingency plans if, and when, tech systems go down. Have you considered these big three questions? Who are the people who have these contingency plans and is your organization ready to implement them? So, ask yourself:
- How would you operate your business?
- How would you serve your customer?
- How would you notify stakeholders?
Outline some very detailed processes and procedures to answer each of these three questions. Companies must know the steps they will take when disaster strikes.
Here are some ideas of steps your company might consider if or when systems come to a screeching halt, and you can be better prepared:
Have a formal written plan. All companies should have a disaster recovery plan. This document should detail how businesses will respond to and recover from a disaster. Make sure this plan is communicated clearly to every single worker. Make sure this plan is reevaluated every year, as business and technologies continue to evolve. Updating this plan is critical since technology and times change as fast as you put pen to paper.
Train your workers on this plan. Businesses should also take this idea to the step level. In addition to communicating the plan, make sure to also train the workers on this plan. Teach them how to do manual systems, so when systems go down—because they will—workers will be prepared. Consider including this in your typical onboarding process and annually for all employees. Keep in mind employees come and go. Thus, just like fire drills in grammar school, training must be often and even not planned to make sure staff both onsite and remotely know how to step up and be prepared.
Backup your data. Make sure you can access as much as you can from alternative locations—enough to keep your business running. This is going to look different for every business, but the bottomline is it’s essential so that you have access to enough data to keep your business running as efficiently as possible.
Keep cash and emergency supplies on hand. Those living in the Midwest know what to do when a tornado is coming: grab a pair of closed-toe shoes, maybe some blankets and jackets, a flashlight, a communication device, water, and shelf-stable food and head to a tornado shelter or basement. We need the same mindset with our technology and our business. We need an emergency kit for when disaster strikes—because it will. What exactly is that emergency kit for your business? Ask yourself will you be able to continue to pay employees if you don’t have access to your data? Consider what happens if you can’t service your customers. Remember your emergency kit will look different than the next company. But have you really taken the time to consider what that means?
The next global tech outage could be worse—and companies must be prepared for it. We need both digital transformation and digital resilience if we are going to prosper in a new era of work. We need people, process, and together to work together—if we are online and if we are offline. How are you planning to prepare your connected business?
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