Another cloud service outage today

Today Gmail service was disrupted for just over an hour, causing about 5.25 million account holders be denied access to their mail during that time window.

Google admins have given no indication what the cause for the outage was. The only statement Google gave at that time was: “We’ve implemented a fix and users should now be able to access their mail.  We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Google reported that the outage started at 9:42 a.m. PST. A message from the email administrator at 10:24 a.m. said that “Google Mail service has already been restored for some users.”

22 minutes later a message sent read: “The problem with Google Mail should be resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better.”

Previous Gmail outages and issues have included:  Feb. 27 and 28, 2011, Gmail users after signing in found their Gmail inbox contact files empty. About 1.5 million users were affected by that one. There were four outages in 2009, all fairly brief, and one in 2008.

This partial outage is yet another example of the risks of cloud based services and inherent lack of control business that subscribe to cloud based services are vulnerable to.

Advanced Network Consulting has been providing Information Technology consulting solutions for Southern California business for almost 20 years.

Specializing in deploying Microsoft based solutions for small and medium business in Southern California, we offer years of expertise in Windows Servers, Exchange, SQL Server as well as a deep knowledge of general networking.  Advanced Network Consulting is your one stop computer consulting solution provider. From network cabling and office relocations, server, desktop and laptop installations to staff training, troubleshooting, upgrades and everything in between, Advanced Network Consulting can provide the solution your business is looking for.