How much does the fear of being disconnected cost us?
The shutdown of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp and the impacts of the network on organizations
The recent events that have affected the networks have brought attention to how strong the dependence on online connections is in everyday life: both in the life of private citizen, who spend their time in virtual interactions, and in the organizational and operational processes of companies; what is certain is that we are all inevitably connected, harnessed in the meshes of the networks.
And so, when a substantial part of what is the social galaxy per excellence is down, the whole world freezes and, what seems definable as an unpleasant inconvenience, becomes in the eyes of all an event capable of bringing billions of people to their knees.
The cause of the blackout of October 4 would seem to have been an error in the configuration of a server, but it does not matter and certainly appears secondary and completely irrelevant, at least for users of services gone blank. Certainly, the costs in terms of losses that the blackout of the three main social channels has entailed are high, however the consequences have gone far beyond those of an economic-commercial type and have also involved other sectors and markets.
Interruptions of this magnitude can, in fact, have repercussions on the entire system. Network architecture can cause a strong instability of the network itself, generating limitations and complexity in the entire security management chain, with considerable impacts in the provision and delivery of services.
The shutdown of social platforms has triggered a series of events and determined situations where the balance has become increasingly precarious, and where companies have found themselves, in various ways, to manage the possible risks and possible consequences that the interruption of the digital connection - whose duration was not predictable - would also have entailed for their business.
Companies that decide to take advantage of , and exploit the advantages of connections, cannot fail to consider or underestimate the other side of the coin: understanding that the strong interdependence between the social networks and the business processes, inevitably generates a series of risks that, if not adequately mitigated and managed, impact on the business, on the solidity of the company and, last but not least, on the company's reputation.
While the networks help manage some business risks, the ability to stay disconnected opens up further new risk scenarios. The shutdown of the social media networks must therefore act as a warning both for small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) and for structured companies, to help them understand the key role represented by the adoption of structured risk management models and the importance of action plans, that allow a business continuity in case of interference, or issues of various kinds.
