INTERNET DOWN! 10 True Stories of Internet Outages in 2023 (part 2 of 3)

Welcome back to part 2 of our blog series on real-life scenarios where organizations faced unexpected internet outages. In our previous post, we shared some humorous and frustrating stories, including an RV fire and a tractor-trailer accident causing internet outages. But as IT administrators, we know that internet disruptions can happen in various ways, and the impact can be significant. 

• Article #1: Reasons 1-3

In this installment, we'll delve into three new incidents that highlight the diverse ways internet disruptions can occur. In these three scenarios, businesses and communities alike have experienced significant impacts with massive outages because they relied solely on a single internet provider. These incidents emphasize the crucial need for robust IT infrastructure that takes into consideration the need for strategic internet delivery design and comprehensive contingency planning. So, let's dive into these real-life tales of internet downtime and draw valuable lessons from them. 

#4: "Maintenance"

A recent country-wide outage of mobile and internet services in Canada by Rogers, one of the country's largest providers, highlights the serious impact of maintenance-related disruptions on businesses and communities. The outage, caused by a maintenance update gone wrong, left critical services like 911 hotlines and hospital communications unavailable for over 15 hours, resulting in significant disruptions to businesses in the affected area. Many businesses were unable to operate, process transactions, or communicate with customers and partners, leading to financial losses and reputational damage. This incident underscores the importance of planned maintenance windows and their potential risks, as even routine updates can sometimes lead to unintended consequences. It also serves as a reminder for businesses to have robust solutions in place, such as SD-WAN, to ensure the continuity of communication services and prevent internet downtime during maintenance activities. By investing in SD-WAN technology, businesses can proactively mitigate the risk of disruptions caused by maintenance-related issues and minimize the potential impact on their operations. Read full story here.

#5: Circumstances

In West Maui, Hawaii, businesses and residents experienced a significant internet outage due to a fiber optic cable cut, resulting in widespread disruption of connectivity. The incident occurred when the physical fiber optic cable that carries internet signals was severed, causing a complete loss of internet access for the affected area. This disruption impacted businesses' ability to access online applications, communicate with customers, and conduct online transactions, leading to lost productivity and revenue. The incident underscores the vulnerability of physical network infrastructure to unforeseen events and the need for businesses to have contingency plans in place, such as redundant network paths and failover options. Implementing technologies like SD-WAN can help businesses mitigate the impact of such disruptions by automatically routing traffic through alternative paths in case of network outages, ensuring continuity of operations. This highlights the importance of investing in resilient network infrastructure to avoid disruptions caused by physical damage to internet infrastructure. Read the full story here.

#6: Vandals. Again...

In a bizarre turn of events, an Asheville, North Carolina, couple was accused of cutting wires and disrupting internet service in Connecticut. The misadventure led to a widespread internet outage, impacting businesses, residents, and service providers in the affected area. The couple allegedly cut the wires in an attempt to steal scrap metal, inadvertently causing a significant disruption to internet services. While the motive may be perplexing, the incident highlights the unexpected ways in which internet access can be disrupted, even by seemingly unrelated events. As businesses continue to rely heavily on the internet for their operations, it's essential to be prepared for such unforeseen situations. Investing in redundant network infrastructure, such as SD-WAN technology, can help businesses maintain connectivity and minimize the impact of unexpected disruptions. Read the full story here.

Stay tuned for our next blog post, where we'll share more real-life scenarios of internet outages and discuss strategies for businesses to mitigate such risks. Check back next week for Part 3 of our blog series!

Stay Tuned - Scenarios 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be Published Next Week!

MCaaS (Matrix Connectivity as a Service) can help safeguard your business from crazy, unexpected internet outages like the ones above. Check out our new video:

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