Chat Local!

Welcome to the first in our series of Chat Local segments where we ask community members a topical question of the week

This week’s question:

How was your day disrupted by last week’s global IT outage?

Richard Evans

During the recent global IT crash, I was at home trying to meet a publishing deadline. The outage totally disrupted everything. I couldn't access files in the cloud or communicate with international suppliers through email and messaging apps. It really showed me how much I rely on technology for simple tasks like research or coordinating activities.

As it happens, I’m writing a political crime thriller about cybersecurity highlighting how our lives, especially our national security is tied to technology. This recent experience was an eye-opener about how chaotic a prolonged global shutdown could be. I have lost manuscripts and other writing in the past before committing to the cloud, and now I reckon offline backups become important again. Given we are susceptible to natural disasters it’s something we all should reconsider how we operate effectively if technology and power were down for an extended period.

Leanne Abernethy

I was at work when the outage occurred, but our organisation was not affected.

However, I am well aware of how reliant we have become on technology. Whenever the internet drops out, we obviously do not have access to emails which are a very important part of our communication. It can also mean we are unable to make tour and accommodation bookings at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre.

When EFTPOS is down, obviously our visitors are unable to buy merchandise and local produce at our centre unless they have cash.

In all businesses, technology is now very important to all processes so it can be very inconvenient whenever there is an outage of any kind.

Rosanagh Gallivan

I was on Magnetic Island on annual leave so there was minimal impact on my day. For a few hours I didn’t have access to my internet banking app, although payments still went through so this wasn’t really a concern.

On the island itself I didn’t see any major issues or impacts either.

Overall, though from what was reported, I think it does show how reliant we all are on technology in certain industries and instances, but on the flip side, perhaps just how quickly we can bounce back. 
 

Alyssa Turner

During last week's IT outage, I was between work and home. It was interesting as my tech was not affected at work; however, at home, I had no mobile data on my phone or Wi-Fi for days.

It was certainly an eye-opener to people's reliance on technology (I was forced to watch deal or no deal on regular TV—this was devastating!). However, I had no serious implications; it was more just an inconvenience, not the end of the world!

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