One of the factors that went into the criticality rubric was the stress created by a disruption.
This was described as “angst or frustration from downtime.” It was not weighted heavily, but for providers of services, creating angst and frustration among users is not taken lightly. It can generate negative publicity and, if experienced frequently, cause users to abandon the service.
The two most highly rated industries based on this criterion were Mass Transit and Social Media, with Social Media edging out Mass Transit for the top spot. Apparently, we get more frustrated about not being able to post about the train running late than we do about the train actually being late.
“Social media has gained a reputation for being somewhat trivial, and there’s no doubt some percentage of content is, but it has also become a highly important means of communication and societal connection,” said Pouchet. “It serves as a primary news source for many people, a direct communication channel between government leaders and the general population, and an important resource during disasters.”
“Social media providers have been in a position similar to cloud and colocation providers in recent years,” explained Panfil. “They are having to build out capacity quickly to keep up with growing demand while simultaneously adapting to higher expectations for availability from users who are increasingly dependent on their services. This has driven new innovation in data center design and construction practices.”
