A global outage caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike disrupted companies using Microsoft systems, including hospitals, dental offices, banks, airlines and retailers.
Six notes for dental leaders:
1. A defect in one of CrowdStrike's updates for Microsoft-run computers caused what is being referred to as the largest IT outage in history, NBC News reported July 19.
2. Microsoft said during the early morning hours of July 19 that although the issue causing the outages for Microsoft 365 apps and services had been fixed, a "residual impact" was still affecting some services.
3. As of 9:40 a.m. CT on July 19, Microsoft said it completed its mitigation actions and that all previously impacted apps and services had been recovered, but it would continue to monitor its services to ensure the issues were resolved.
4. The outage affected almost every industry, including the healthcare sector, with some hospitals canceling previously scheduled nonurgent surgeries, procedures and medical visits. Other hospitals delayed appointments and surgeries.
5. Some dental offices have also been affected. St. Louis, Mo.-based Affinia Healthcare said in a July 19 Facebook post that it would reschedule appointments for its dental center and that its dental urgent care center would be closed. Little River, Va.-based Reflection Dental also said its office would be closed July 19 because of the outage.
6. Michael Atkinson, director of network security for Great Neck, N.Y.-based DSO The Smilist, said in a July 19 LinkedIn post that the CrowdStrike outage highlights a critical need for companies to have emergency plans in place in case of outages.
"For dental practices and other impacted sectors, this is a stark reminder to have effective plans to continue operating during downtimes. Ensuring business continuity in the office can mitigate the impact of such unforeseen events," he said.