NEW YORK (AP) — Major Amazon Web Services outage Numerous online platforms were disrupted on Monday, leaving people stranded around the world. can’t access Some banks, chat apps, online food ordering, etc.
History has shown that these types of outages can be short-lived and are often more of a minor inconvenience, like ordering lunch in person or waiting a few hours for a gaming platform to come back online, rather than a long-term problem, but recovery can be a bumpy road. And the disruption is especially stressful for people trying to move money, communicate with loved ones, and work with affected services.
Consumers may not realize how much the platforms they use rely on the same backend technology. AWS is one of the few major cloud service providers that businesses, governments, universities, and other organizations rely on. Monday’s outage is an important reminder of that, with experts stressing the importance of diversifying your online life as much as possible, or having “old-fashioned” alternatives to fall back on as a backup plan.
“Don’t put all your eggs in one digital basket,” said Lee McKnight, associate professor of information at Syracuse University, noting that these kinds of obstacles aren’t going away anytime soon.
So what can you do to prepare for disruption? Here are some tips.
store money in multiple locations
During Monday’s AWS outage, users of outage tracker Downdetector reported issues with platforms such as Venmo and online broker Robinhood. Banks including Halifax and Lloyds also said some services were temporarily affected, although some customers still reported persistent issues.
Outages that affect online banking and other financial services, even for a short period of time, can be most stressful, especially when consumers are waiting on a paycheck, trying to pay rent, checking investment funds, or shopping. Much of the stress is determined by the scope and length of the disruption, but experts say a good rule of thumb is to keep your money in multiple places.
“I love having multiple accounts where you have some level of access to your funds at any given time,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate. This emphasizes the importance of having an emergency savings account and a separate account from, say, your everyday checking account, he explains.
It’s also a good idea to keep cash in a safe place, he added. Emergency response agencies also recommend keeping physical money on hand in case of natural disasters or power outages. Still, it’s important to continue saving in moderation.
“Cash can be stolen or misplaced, so you shouldn’t go overboard,” Hamrick says. And in terms of overall prudent financial practices, you also don’t want to keep a lot of money “under the mattress” if you can earn bank interest, he explains.
Depending on the scope of the outage, other options may still be available.
For example, when digital banking apps are offline, consumers can still visit a branch in person or call a representative over the phone, but wait times are often longer during large-scale disruptions. And, as we saw with AWS on Monday, when the outage is related to a third-party cloud service provider, banks and other affected businesses may not be able to resolve it on their own.
Have a backup communication channel
Monday’s AWS outage also affected social media sites Snapchat and Message app “Signal”.
In an increasingly digital world, people have increasingly relied on online channels to call and chat with loved ones and communicate at work. And while it’s easy to get used to a particular app or platform, experts point out that outages serve as an important reminder to have a backup plan.
Depending on the extent of the disruption, this could take the form of ensuring that you can contact the people you talk to regularly across different apps. If the wide range of internet and cloud services your smartphone relies on are affected, you may have to rely on more traditional phone calls and SMS text messages.
SMS texting relies on “older communications infrastructure,” McKnight explains. That’s why it’s important to keep your SMS text message contacts up to date in case of an emergency, “not just the fancy and fun services you use every day,” he said.
On the other hand, failures can also occur, including, among others: Affects telephone service. In past outages of non-cloud services, affected carriers suggested users try Wi-Fi calling on both iPhone and Android devices.
Save your work and monitor service updates across multiple platforms
Overall, McKnight suggests “building your own multi-cloud strategy.”
For online work and projects, McKnight explains, you might end up storing documents on multiple platforms, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud. He added that while it’s important to be aware of potential security risks and ensure all accounts are secure, “having diversity in how information is stored” could also reduce headaches if certain services are disrupted.
Many businesses may also have their own workarounds and contingency plans in place in case the technology they use goes offline. While widespread recovery from Monday’s outage remains largely dependent on Amazon’s extensive mitigation efforts, individual platforms’ social media and online status pages may include updates and details about alternative operations.
You can also check the outage tracker like a down detector Check to see if others are experiencing similar issues.
Even after restoration, experts also suggest checking your payments, online orders, and messages you may have sent during or just before the power went out, in case something goes wrong.
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