The global technical glitch was linked to a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. CrowdStrike shares reportedly fell by 15%.

What are the consequences of a global IT failure?

A software update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused system issues that grounded flights, took broadcasters off the air, and left customers without access to services like healthcare and banking. It’s worth noting that CrowdStrike is one of the largest operators in this space.

Approximately 8.5 million Microsoft devices were affected by the incident, which accounts for less than 1% of Windows devices.

Although the percentage is small, the broad economic and societal implications reflect the use of CrowdStrike by companies operating many mission-critical services.
– said in a message on Microsoft’s blog.

CrowdStrike also helped develop a solution to help Microsoft speed up patching of its Azure infrastructure. Microsoft is working with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform to share insights into the impact the company is seeing in this area.