Availability facts for kids

Availability is a super important idea in information security. It means that a computer system, a website, or an app is working properly and can be reached by the people who are supposed to use it. Think of it like a store that's always open when you need it, or your favorite online game server that's never down!

When we talk about availability, we're making sure that information and systems are there for you whenever you need them. It's one of the three main goals of information security, along with confidentiality (keeping secrets safe) and integrity (making sure information hasn't been changed without permission).

What is Availability?

Availability means that a system or service is ready to be used when needed. If a website crashes or an app stops working, it's not available. For example, if you try to log into your school's online learning portal and it's down, then the portal isn't available.

This is super important for things like:

• Online banking: You need to access your money whenever you want.
• Emergency services: Police, fire, and ambulance systems must always be working.
• Online games: Nobody likes when their game server goes offline!

Measuring Availability

Availability is often shown as a percentage of time a system is working, called "uptime." For example, if a system is available 99% of the time, it means it's working almost all the time.

• 99% availability means the system is down for about 3 days and 15 hours per year.
• 99.9% availability (often called "three nines") means it's down for about 8 hours and 45 minutes per year.
• 99.999% availability (called "five nines") is considered very high availability. This means the system is down for only about 5 minutes and 15 seconds in a whole year!

Companies that offer services like cloud storage or online shopping aim for very high availability because every minute of downtime can cost them a lot of money and make their users unhappy.

Why is Availability Important?

Imagine trying to do your homework online, but the website you need is constantly crashing. Or trying to watch a video, but the streaming service keeps freezing. That's why availability matters!

When systems aren't available, it can cause:

• Frustration: People can't do what they need to do.
• Lost time: You might have to wait for the system to come back online.
• Financial losses: Businesses can lose money if their online stores or services are down.
• Safety risks: In critical systems like hospitals or air traffic control, lack of availability can be very dangerous.

How to Keep Systems Available

Keeping systems available is a big job for IT professionals. They use many strategies:

• Backup Systems: Having extra copies of servers or data so if one fails, another can take over immediately.
• Regular Maintenance: Fixing problems before they cause a system to go down.
• Strong Security: Protecting systems from cyberattacks that could make them unavailable (like denial-of-service attacks).
• Monitoring: Constantly watching systems to detect issues early.
• Disaster Recovery Plans: Having a plan for what to do if a major event, like a natural disaster, takes systems offline.

By using these methods, experts try to make sure that the digital world we rely on is always there for us, running smoothly and ready to go!

See also

In Spanish: Disponibilidad para niños