* The global nature of the Internet is both strength and vulnerability
Two recent events served as a nice reminder of the global nature of today’s networks, and how something that happens on the other side of the world may now affect you at home.
For two hours on Sunday, YouTube could not be accessed by many users around the world because Pakistan ordered that the site be blocked (because of a single video it deemed dangerous), and an ISP in Pakistan apparently posted the wrong routing information. The Associated Press reported that the ISP directed YouTube requests to a “black hole,” and then identified itself to the Internet at large as the fastest route to YouTube.
In other words, the ISP sent YouTube requests from around the world into a black hole.
This may not seem like a big deal, businesswise – oh, what a shame you couldn’t watch this video for two hours on Sunday – but it doesn’t take much to see that there is a problem when it’s possible for a routing error in Timbuktu to bring down a globally popular site.
The incident comes several weeks after the infamous cable cuts in the Mediterranean Sea. You can debate whether the cuts were sabotage, but what really matters from a business perspective is that the connections upon which your international business runs can be severed.
Johna Till Johnson wrote a good analysis piece soon after the fact, where she pointed out that multihoming is not necessarily the answer, because even though you may be using multiple providers, they may all be using the same transoceanic links.
She also pointed out that this may put outsourcing in a whole new light. Sure, it may save a few bucks to outsource some operations overseas, but what happens if you lose your primary link to those overseas operations? To echo what I was saying at the end of the last newsletter, what’s your Plan B?
