Cloud Chaos: How to Keep Your Business Safe from Future Tech Meltdowns

The internet had a rough Thursday. Both Google and Cloudflare services faced issues. This was not a local problem. It was a global issue. Google Cloud reported that multiple products were affected due to problems with their Identity and Access Management Service. The trouble began around 1:49 p. m. ET. By 3:41 p. m. ET, Google engineers found the cause. However, the issue was not fully fixed until 4:49 p. m. ET. Google later explained that an automated quota update gone wrong caused the problem. This update was sent globally, leading to rejected API requests. To fix it, they bypassed the faulty quota check. Most regions recovered within two hours. However, one region took much longer to get back to normal. Some services still had minor issues even after the main problem was solved. Google has since made changes to prevent this from happening again. They will now stop their API management platform from failing due to bad data. They will also improve how they handle and test for errors. Cloudflare also had some services go down, but they were back to normal by Thursday evening. They said this was due to the Google Cloud outage. They also mentioned that their core services were not affected. So, what can businesses do to prepare for future cloud outages? It is not practical for most businesses to match the uptime of major cloud services like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. However, they can spread their workloads across multiple cloud providers. This is known as multi-cloud or hybrid cloud. This approach reduces the risk of relying on a single provider and allows for a backup plan if one cloud goes down. Automating a disaster recovery plan is also crucial. This can include real-time data backup or full failover. If a business lacks the technical know-how, there are companies that can help set up and manage a disaster recovery plan. These include CommVault, Druva, Flexential, and Tierpoint. It is wise for any business that relies on cloud services to consider talking to these companies. This way, they can ensure they keep operating even when a major cloud goes down. The internet is always changing. Businesses need to be ready for any tech problems that come their way.