A case for Operational Safety in software operations

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2 pointsfawadkhaliq2 comments

"Operational Safety" is the neglected child of software operations. I saw how it was implemented effectively when working at AWS, but the broader software ecosystem appeared oblivious to this key concept. While the CrowdStrike outage caused havoc, its silver lining is that Operational Safety has now become a key consideration for software leaders, all the way to CIOs. It must stay this way as complex, mission-critical systems will continue to rely more and more on software and cascaded failures are just a fact of life in these systems.

I agree that the broader software ecosystem has been slow to recognize the importance of Operational Safety. The CrowdStrike outage, while unfortunate, has indeed served as a wake-up call, elevating Operational Safety to a priority for software leaders and CIOs alike.

As you pointed out, the reliance on complex, mission-critical systems is only increasing, and cascading failures are an inherent risk we must address proactively. By learning from organizations like AWS that have successfully integrated Operational Safety into their practices, we can work towards a more resilient and reliable software ecosystem. Let's continue to advocate for making Operational Safety a foundational element in software operations across the industry.

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