This July, I watched the corporate world almost screech to a halt. All because of a tiny software update. One small change to CrowdStrike’s security software turned 8.5 million Windows computers into very expensive paperweights.

Let’s start at the beginning. It was a regular Friday morning — people were getting their coffees, checking their emails, going about their usual nine-to-five shuffles. When suddenly, everything went sideways. Banks couldn’t process transactions. Airports turned into chaos (more than usual, if you can believe it). Even hospitals had to postpone surgeries.

Step 1 of 7

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Which of the following best describes how you currently monitor and manage systems across your hybrid cloud environment?(Required)

Multiple separate tools for different environments

Multiple separate tools for different monitoring and management functions

Single consolidated dashboard

Custom built monitoring and management solution

No full monitoring and management solution

Don’t know

How valuable would it be for your monitoring and management solution to incorporate predictive analytics to help you identify and address system issues that are critical and not waste time or effort working through all the data and “noise” that is not critical?(Required)

Extremely valuable

Moderately valuable

Somewhat valuable

Slightly valuable

Not valuable

How do you most typically address potential system issues BEFORE they impact your operations?(Required)

Automated workflows and playbooks to remediate potential issues as soon as they are detected

An orchestrated response process that leverages automation, AI, and human expertise to rapidly respond to potential issues

Advanced monitoring tools such as predictive analytics and anomaly detection to proactively identify and address potential issues

Respond to issues as they arise, using manual processes and troubleshooting techniques

A combination of automated remediation, orchestrated response, and/or proactive monitoring to address potential system issues

Don’t know

Other

What methods does your organization use to control and monitor cloud/IT spending?(Required)

Centralized procurement processes

Pre-approved budget thresholds

Automated cost monitoring tools

Department-level spending controls

Regular cost audits and reviews

Cloud cost optimization platform

Approval workflows for resource provisioning

Native financial operations tools provided by the cloud provider

No formal controls in place

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

Which methods do you rely on most to detect security vulnerabilities in your systems?(Required)

Automated scanning tools

Manual assessments

Vendor notifications

Threat modeling (for early detection)

None of these

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

What are the TWO most common ways you prioritize vulnerabilities to address within your environment?(Required)

Based on potential impact

Based on exploitability

Regulatory compliance requirements

Based on CVSS scores

Risk-based analysis of multiple factors

First-in-first-out approach

No formal prioritization process

Don’t know

How do you typically handle system updates and security patches?(Required)

Automated updates and patches

Manually review and apply updates and patches on a regular schedule

A combination of automation and manual review

Apply updates and patches on an as-needed basis.

Outsourced update and patch management

No defined process

Don’t know

Other

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The price tag for this mess? $5.4 billion just to the Fortune 500 alone; in one day. All because of a small software bug. Let that sink in for a minute.

The Hard Truth About Software

Here’s the thing — as someone who has spent years in tech, I can tell you that software bugs are inevitable. Sure, we have amazing tools now — AI, ML and automated testing. But perfect software, from day one and every time an update is made? No, not happening.

But maybe we are looking at this wrong. Instead of chasing the perfect software, what if we set up our systems more smartly?

Since 2017, Microsoft SQL Server has been able to run on Linux. That is a big deal. But most companies haven’t taken advantage of this. They are still running everything on Windows, putting all their eggs in one basket (platform), so to speak.

What Your Company Needs

Think about it like this — you wouldn’t keep your retirement savings in just one investment. The same principle applies here. What you really need is:

• The ability to seamlessly manage workloads across both Windows and Linux
• HA automation to quickly switch between platforms when things go wrong
• Rock-solid security that works everywhere

With automated, cross-platform failover capabilities, critical systems can continue to operate no matter what underlying OS issues arise. Instead of panicking, your business would run as usual.

After watching the CrowdStrike situation unfold (and helping clean up the mess), I can say one thing with absolute certainty — relying too heavily on a single platform is a risk none of us can afford anymore. The technology to build more resilient systems exists today.

The Solution is Here

For organizations prioritizing resilience, adopting infrastructure-agnostic solutions that enable seamless workload management across platforms should be at the top of the list. These technologies empower businesses to stay operational, secure and confident no matter the environment. We just need to use them.