Six causes of major software outages–And how to avoid them

As recent events have demonstrated, major software outages are an ever-present threat in our increasingly digital world. From business operations to personal communication, the reliance on software and cloud infrastructure is only increasing.

Outages can disrupt services, cause financial losses, and damage brand reputations. Understanding the causes of these outages is crucial for preventing them and ensuring smoother, more reliable tech operations. It's also critical to have a strategy in place to address these outages, including both documented remediation processes and an observability platform to help you proactively identify and resolve issues to minimize customer and business impact.

How software outages happen

Outages can occur for many reasons, ranging from internal mishaps to external attacks. They may stem from software bugs, cyberattacks, surges in demand, issues with backup processes, network problems, or human errors. Each of these factors can independently cause a major disruption, but often, outages result from a combination of issues. Let's explore each of these elements and what organizations can do to avoid them.

1. Software bugs

Software bugs and bad code releases are common culprits behind tech outages. These issues can arise from errors in the code, insufficient testing, or unforeseen interactions among software components.

Possible scenarios

• A new software update contains a bug that causes a critical application to crash, disrupting business operations.
• A poorly tested feature release leads to incompatibility issues, resulting in downtime for users.

To prevent outages caused by software bugs, organizations should implement thorough testing procedures, including automated testing and continuous integration practices. Regular code reviews and a robust quality assurance process are also vital to help identify issues before they reach production.

2. Cyberattack

Cyberattacks involve malicious activities aimed at disrupting services, stealing data, or causing damage. These attacks can be orchestrated by hackers, cybercriminals, or even state actors.

Possible scenarios

• A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack overwhelms servers with traffic, making a website or service unavailable.
• Ransomware encrypts essential data, locking users out of systems and halting operations until a ransom is paid.
• Remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities, such as the Log4Shell incident in 2021, allow attackers to run malicious code on a remote system without requiring authentication or user interaction.

To cope with the risk of cyberattacks, companies should implement robust security measures combining proactive preventive measures such as runtime vulnerability analytics, with comprehensive application and perimeter protection through firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular security audits. Employee training in cybersecurity best practices and maintaining up-to-date software and systems are also crucial.

3. High demand

Sudden spikes in demand can overwhelm systems that are not designed to handle such loads, leading to outages. This often occurs during major events, promotions, or unexpected surges in usage.

Possible scenarios

• A retail website crashes during a major sale event due to a surge in traffic.
• An online streaming service experiences downtime during the premiere of a highly anticipated show, as too many users try to access it simultaneously.

To manage high demand, companies should invest in scalable infrastructure, load-balancing, and load-scaling technologies. Conducting performance testing and having contingency plans for peak times can help ensure systems remain operational during spikes in usage.

4. Backup process

Failures in the backup process can lead to outages, especially when primary systems fail, and backups do not activate as expected. This can result from improperly configured backups, corrupted data, or insufficient testing.

Possible scenarios

• A data center experiences a power failure, but the backup generators fail to start, leading to prolonged downtime.
• A company tries to restore a system from backups after a cyberattack, only to find the backups are corrupted or incomplete.

It's critical to regularly perform backup and recovery tests to ensure that systems are properly configured. Companies should ensure they have a range of recovery options in place, including snapshots, replication, and backups to provide a range of RTO and RPO options. A comprehensive DR plan with consistent testing is also critical to ensure that large recoveries work as expected.

5. Network issues

Network issues encompass problems with internet service providers, routers, or other networking equipment. These can be caused by hardware failures, or configuration errors, or external factors like cable cuts.

Possible scenarios

• A major network provider experiences an outage, causing disruptions to services that rely on its infrastructure.
• Misconfigured network settings result in lost connectivity, impacting cloud services and online applications.

To mitigate network issues, organizations should ensure robust network monitoring and management practices. Redundant network paths and automated failover systems can help maintain connectivity during disruptions.

6. Human error

Human error remains one of the leading causes of tech outages. This can include mistakes made during routine maintenance, misconfigurations, or accidental deletions.

Possible scenarios

• An IT technician accidentally deletes a critical database, causing a service outage.
• Incorrectly applied configuration changes lead to system failures and downtime.

Comprehensive training programs and strict change management protocols can help reduce human errors. Automated systems for routine tasks and thorough review processes for critical actions can also minimize the risk of mistakes.

Mitigating the causes of software outages

Understanding the diverse causes of tech outages is essential for developing strategies to prevent them, but it's just the start. An effective mitigation strategy requires an observability solution that provides a complete end-to-end view of all applications and services. A platform such as Dynatrace enables companies to proactively identify issues, prioritize remediation, and validate that implemented fixes address the underlying issues. This approach minimizes the impact of outages on end users and maximizes the efficiency of IT remediation efforts.

The unfortunate reality is that software outages are common. However, by understanding the root causes of outages and implementing an observability platform, organizations can enhance the reliability and resilience of their technology infrastructure, ensuring continuity and maintaining trust in an increasingly digital world.

Contact us to learn how you can mitigate the causes of software outages in your IT environment.