What the CrowdStrike outage can teach us about burnout in cybersecurity

How burnout prevention strategies can positively impact individuals, teams and organizations — especially when the stakes are high

Cybersecurity professionals experience immense pressure to prevent breaches, maintain system integrity, and protect sensitive data from cyber threats. Last week’s Microsoft incident, described as the ‘largest outage in history’, serves as a timely reminder of the critical role cybersecurity professionals play in safeguarding the functioning of societies and our vulnerability to errors in these environments.

Caused by a software update to a CrowdStrike product, the widespread impact of the outage is a stark and poignant insight into the potential consequences of breaches. And while the root causes of the outage are likely complex, one thing is abundantly clear. We must take this opportunity to focus on a pivotal yet often overlooked conversation: what can be done to mitigate chronic stress and support the health and wellbeing of cybersecurity professionals.

It is imperative that leaders urgently take steps now to reevaluate how they support their cybersecurity teams and implement preventative, supportive strategies. The consequences of not doing so could be…