The global IT outage caused by a corrupt CrowdStrike update in July of 2024 was a stark reminder of how vulnerable our IT systems are to a single point of failure.
The key to mitigating that risk is to ensure there is always another way in or around to maintain uptime. Before the next widespread IT outage, assess your power infrastructure to determine what can be done to enhance cybersecurity efforts, reduce potential single points of failure, and plan and prepare for the next potential IT disaster.
Enhance Cybersecurity Efforts by Securing your Network
Network management cards allow 2-way access to devices throughout the network. The network protocols that provide the convenience of allowing IT managers to shut down or reboot equipment remotely also create potential access points for malicious code. Eaton’s Gigabit Network Card and Schneider Electric’s Secure NMC Systems Subscriptions powered by EcoStruxure have enhanced security protocols to help prevent unauthorized network access. These latest generation network cards come with a user-configurable firewall to meet specific network security compliance requirements.
Reduce Potential Single Points of Failure
The UPS and PDUs are the most common single points of failure in the power infrastructure. Most major manufacturers offer modular 3-Phase UPS systems, such as the APC Symmetra PX, that can offer N+1 redundancy with extra power modules. N+1 configurations allow for the failure of a power module without interruption to the IT load.
On a smaller scale, best practice to maintain 2N redundancy for rack mounted dual corded equipment is to have two separate rack PDUs each protected by its own rack-mounted UPS. The APC Smart-UPS Online and the Eaton 9PX are both popular for this application. If one UPS, PDU, or input cord fails, the other side is fully protected and there is no downtime.
Plan and Prepare for Widespread Outages
Disasters will occur. Some, like major weather events, will come with a few days’ notice. Others, like the corrupt CrowdStrike update, will occur in an instant without warning. IT managers need to be prepared for both. In most cases, a disaster recovery plan will minimize the adverse effects of the interfering event.
Click here to read our full article on the Lessons Learned from the Global CrowdStrike Outage.
For more information about Disaster Recovery Planning, Assessment services, and proactive power infrastructure maintenance and factory service plans, call 800-876-9373, or email [email protected]