Business Week online has a slide show featuring the most critical computer systems in the world. The focus is the systems that we rely on for day-to-day life – as individuals and businesses.
…the buzz of daily life is ever more punctuated by contact with
computers that we rarely see, but whose constant and reliable operation
is a virtual necessity for millions who may not even think about them.That
in mind, we set out to try to determine which computers are the most
important to daily life-those systems that keep the power flowing,
airplanes flying, the Internet buzzing, and so on. We focused on
everyday existence-leaving aside, for instance, the many large
supercomputers involved in such tasks as simulated testing of nuclear
weapons.Critical computers identified by BusinessWeek include:
- Power Grid
- National Weather System
- Root DNS
- First Data
- Ground Control / FAA
- GPS
- MSN / Hotmail
Read the article and view the slide show here.
If the Dow Jones industrial average can sink 178 points in 1 minute due to a malfunction, what would happen if one of these computers had a glitch? Our interconnected, technology driven modern world can be surprisingly fragile.
The world may not depend on your business' computers, but your livelihood does. Do you have a reliable back up of your critical data? Are your primary business systems redundant? Do you have thresholds in place to monitor performance and anticipate problems before they happen?
As a true believer in computers and software to streamline business processes and enhance decision making, I am also well aware that systems do malfunction. Things inevitably go wrong. It's the contingency planning that makes all the difference.
Image courtesy of Getty Images, via BusinessWeek
During her time at Glenbrook, Erin focused on client engagements in business payments, cross-border transactions, bill payment, and the intersection of corporate finance, banking, and ERP/accounting. She has nearly twenty years of experience leading increasingly complex payment initiatives for corporate clients and advising financial institutions and payment technologists on the development of their payment capabilities.
Erin is also the founder of Forte Financial, a consulting firm focused on corporate finance efficiency, technology, and process improvement. She is a past president of the Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco and also a two-term past president of the San Francisco Treasury Management Association. Erin is no longer with Glenbrook, but contributed greatly during her time at the firm.