We’ve all heard the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” The same idea applies to technology. When too many companies rely on the same provider—like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, or Google—it’s called a monoculture. And just like in farming, a monoculture can be risky. If one major system fails, the effects can spread fast.
The internet was originally designed to be decentralized, meaning if one part failed, data could travel another route. That made it strong and resilient. But over time, convenience and cost savings have led many organizations to depend on just a few big players. When one of them has problems, millions of people feel it.
The AWS Outage: A Real-World Example
Recently, an AWS outage took down some of the most popular apps and websites around the world. Platforms like Snapchat, Roblox, Signal, Duolingo, Wordle, PlayStation Network, and Peloton all had issues. In the UK, services including Lloyds Bank, HM Revenue and Customs, and Ring doorbells also went offline.
By mid-morning, Amazon said it was fixing problems in its US-East-1 region (Virginia), but recovery was slow. According to Downdetector, more than 1,000 companies were affected, and there were over 6.5 million reports of service issues. Even by late afternoon, some problems weren’t completely resolved.
For more than 20 years, David Snell’s Tech Talk has been a regular spot on The South Shore’s Morning News on 95.9 WATD fm. At 8:11, David chats with show hosts Rob Hakala about what’s happening in IT today. The subjects range from computer viruses, scams and cybercriminals to what Amazon, Apple or Microsoft are planning next.
He often shares new product information and reviews software that may help you, especially when there is a free version to try!
On this blog, he provides links, sources and other necessary information. And, on the Tuesday before Christmas, you can expect his annual NORAD Santa report!
If you have a question that you’d like him to answer on the show, please email him.
