CrowdStrike IT Outage: How Preparis Alerts Made the Difference

A common misconception is that cyber outages typically stem from external attacks. In reality, many disruptions are the result of internal issues, such as human error or problematic updates, like the one we experienced. This highlights the critical need for comprehensive continuity planning, and coordinating with IT professionals in disaster recovery efforts.

As I’m sure many of you are aware, on Friday, July 19th, 2024, a faulty update from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company partnered with Microsoft, led to a major disruption affecting industries worldwide. While this was not a cyber attack, the human-caused outage had significant consequences for organizations globally, including:

• Airlines: Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed, and check-in and booking services were unavailable.
• Financial Services: Major financial institutions like JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Bank of America, and American Express had trouble logging into their systems and/or processing payments.
• Broadcasters: Local TV stations in the U.S., U.K., and Australia couldn’t broadcast.
• Government Services: Courts, motor vehicle departments, and emergency call centers (including 911) faced disruptions.
• Hospitals: Hospital appointment systems were down, leading to suspended visits and surgeries.

At Preparis, we understand that business interruptions can occur for various reasons, whether from cyber threats, natural disasters, or human error. This outage underscores the importance of an 'all hazards' approach to business continuity. Being prepared means having the right tools and systems in place to ensure you can simply and quickly communicate with employees, and your operations can quickly recover, no matter the cause. We are here to help you navigate these unpredictable situations.

We are proud of how our customers handled this challenge. Using Preparis Alerts:

• 400,000 messages were sent from Friday through the weekend to provide clear instructions for getting systems back online.
• Over 1,700 different message variants were used, utilizing the platform's full capabilities.
• All communication modes covered: conference calls, desktop notifications, emails, push notifications, SMS texts, and voicemails.
• Seamless communication with teams was enabled, even when primary workstations were affected.
• Showcased the power of proactive planning and response.

The entire Preparis team is standing by and is committed to supporting you through growing business challenges. We design our solutions to keep your business resilient and ensure you’re always prepared for the unexpected. We are here for you, every step of the way. Feel free to reach out at 855-447-3750 or [email protected] if you have any questions, or need help reviewing your current plans.

Thank you for your continued trust in us.

Warm regards,
Jon Bahl
CEO, Preparis