What do you do if your IT Operations team faces a major system outage?

A Business Continuity Plan with detailed description should already exist and be available. From contingency steps to comms all should be covered and pre-tested. It's advisable to review and test recurrently (every 6 months minimum) so assure it's both fit for purpose and use.

We use an application to broadcast major outages. This sends an alert to all IT teams and stakeholders via email and SMS. They just need to click a link to join the bridge to discuss it and they can join either from their computer or through their mobile device.

Working as a Senior Software Engineer and IT Manager, I’ve managed and developed critical financial systems like mobile wallets and in-house banking platforms. The pressure often meant late nights, sleepless stretches, and moments where every second counted, dealing with issues too sensitive to mention publicly. Supporting systems across countries in Africa demanded dedication and adaptability. When a system outage occurs, I act swiftly: assess the impact, communicate clearly, isolate the issue, and work efficiently to restore services. I’ve built solutions across diverse industries—finance, real estate, HR, agriculture, and more—delivering over 40 projects, spanning software development, infrastructure, deployment, and support.

1- Apply the incident response plan 2- Assess the current status and the impact of outage 3- Apply quick fixes either by using permanent solutions or workarounds 4- Communicate case details internally and externally if the outage has an external impact on end user 5- Monitor the effectiveness of applied fixes until all impacted services are recovered 6- Conduct root cause analysis, generate learned lessons and action plan to mitigate the reoccurrence of such outages 7- Provide final report and communicate it to the stakeholders

In the event of a major system outage, I’d stay calm, activate the incident response team, and begin root cause analysis. I’d keep stakeholders informed with regular updates, prioritize restoring critical services, and work on a quick resolution. Afterward, we’d conduct a post-mortem to identify improvements and strengthen our processes for future resilience.

Once the initial response is underway, I assess the scale of the outage. I work closely with key stakeholders to understand which systems and users are affected, prioritizing any critical functions that need urgent restoration.

During a major outage, IT Operations should: Activate Incident Protocol – Assemble the team and communicate the issue. Diagnose and Contain – Identify the cause and stabilize systems. Restore and Validate – Recover services and monitor closely. Notify Stakeholders – Update on resolution and provide a postmortem later. Analyze and Improve – Conduct root cause analysis and prevent future incidents. This ensures quick recovery, clear communication, and future resilience.

Yes, it is important to identify the affected devices and systems, and understand the severity of the problem in order to prioritize what to implement and who should be first. You may encounter unusual problems, in other words, problems you have never seen before, and how long they will impact the company's business functions.

Gather data to understand the scope and potential cause. Set up a next communication cadence for updates. Initiate temporary workarounds if possible.

Impact assessment gives your team a realistic and detailed view of the disruption, which is essential for prioritizing, mobilizing appropriate resources, and communicating the issue effectively. Take an immediate inventory of critical systems and processes that have been impacted by the disruption. Consider which business functions directly depend on these systems and prioritize those that have the greatest impact on the continuity of operations. Try to quantify the immediate financial impact, such as lost revenue, potential contractual penalties, or additional operating costs due to the disruption. Also assess the impact on operational metrics, such as productivity and response time to customers.

The next step is to dig into the root cause. I coordinate with our technical experts to diagnose the issue as quickly as possible, using monitoring tools and logs to identify where things went wrong.

Monitoring logs can be very important for server operating systems and various network devices to find out what happened, and it can be very easy, as there may be very small causes that can be quickly addressed and thus the problem is resolved quickly.

Deep root cause analysis is essential to effectively resolve an outage and prevent it from happening again. By examining logs and using real-time monitoring, your IT operations team will have a comprehensive approach to identifying the cause of the outage and taking appropriate corrective action. Log analysis can reveal specific patterns or alerts that help trace the timing and origin of the issue. Additionally, apply real-time monitoring tools to monitor current performance and check for any discrepancies or anomalies in your systems.

With the root cause identified, we work on a fix, whether that’s a temporary workaround or a full resolution. Throughout, I keep stakeholders informed on progress, ensuring they know we’re focused on getting services back online ASAP.

Some problems may need a temporary solution for the sake of the company's business, but this does not mean that it is a solution that should be relied upon, as you must always work to prepare the best solutions for the business to run in a disciplined, safe and smooth manner. You must also be in contact with your management so that they are aware of the latest developments and also so that you are not accused of something that you do not need.

After restoring services, I initiate a review to capture what went well and where we can improve. This includes documenting any lessons learned and noting areas that need better preparation or faster response.

I believe it is important to document lessons learned, highlighting what worked well and what needs to be adjusted. Use these lessons to refine the incident response plan and document new procedures if necessary. Documenting these lessons and adaptations ensures that the team has a reliable resource for future responses to similar incidents. Ensure that the team had the appropriate skills and knowledge to handle the incident and identify areas where additional training or certifications may be needed. Investing in training empowers the team to handle future incidents with greater confidence and skill.

Access the situation Initiate the incidence response Contain the issue Route case analysis and fix Monitor and test Communicate the progress Post incident review Documentation The goal throughout this process is to minimize downtime, communicate transparently, and address the underlying cause to prevent future occurrences.

Finally, I focus on prevention. I implement changes based on our findings, such as process adjustments or system upgrades, aiming to reduce the chances of a similar outage happening again.

RCA Preventing future outages requires a comprehensive strategy involving better monitoring, more stronger infrastructure, regular PM and a focus on continuous improvement.