AWS, Amazon Web Servies, went down earlier this week. It’s one of the biggest cloud services platforms hosting so many of the online services we all use daily. There’s no need to panic, that’s first. It’s a wakeup call for us to be prepared for brief or longer outages. Below is a road map for how you can be ready for the next outage.

Key Takeaways

• Redundancy isn’t optional — it’s essential to business continuity.
• Always own and back up your critical data and contacts.
• Cloud failures can impact your business even if you don’t host with that provider.
• Don’t assume “cloud = always on” — build fail-safes into your tech stack.
• Regularly test your ability to operate without internet or vendor access.

A Global Outage, Local Impact

When Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down on October 20, 2025, it didn’t just disrupt big companies. It slowed or stopped thousands of smaller businesses that depend — directly or indirectly — on the cloud.

For hours, websites failed to load. Payment systems went offline. Marketing tools froze. Customer relationship management systems stalled. Some businesses couldn’t even email their teams.

The outage may have originated from a technical fault in AWS’s U.S. East region, but its impact rippled across the globe — reminding us how fragile our “always-on” digital world really is.

For small business owners, it’s a clear warning: if one provider can take you down, you need to rethink your systems.

Dependence Runs Deeper Than You Think

Even if your website isn’t hosted on AWS, you might still depend on it.

If your email service, CRM, e-commerce platform, accounting tool, or file-sharing system runs on AWS, you’re vulnerable. In today’s interconnected economy, a single outage in one part of the digital supply chain can cascade into multiple failures for businesses everywhere.

For entrepreneurs who depend on tech to run lean and fast, that’s a dangerous blind spot.

Redundancy: Not Just for Big Companies

Redundancy simply means having backup systems that can take over if your main one fails. Large corporations build this into their infrastructure automatically — using multiple data centers, mirrored systems, and multi-cloud environments.

Small businesses often skip it to save money or because it feels too technical. But the truth is, you don’t need a massive IT budget to build resilience.

Start small:

• Keep your website backed up in a separate region or on another hosting provider.
• Store key customer information in a second, secure location.
• Use tools that let you export or download your data at any time.
• Keep a list of vendors and logins in a password-protected offline file.

These basic habits can make the difference between being offline for minutes or for days.

Own Your Data — Don’t Just Rent It

It’s convenient to let cloud tools “handle everything.” But when those tools go down, you realize how little control you really have.

Ask yourself:

• Could you access your customer list right now if your CRM went dark?
• Do you have copies of your invoices, contracts, and sales data somewhere safe?
• Can you reach your clients or team if your email system is unavailable?

If the answer is no, you don’t truly own your business data — your vendors do.

Set up a routine to download or sync your most important information to local storage or a second service. That includes your client list, vendor contacts, order history, and financial records. Even a simple spreadsheet saved offline is better than nothing.

Offline Access Is Still Powerful

Sometimes “low-tech” beats “high-tech.” If your systems fail, how will you communicate, sell, or serve your customers?

Here are a few simple measures:

• Maintain a printed or digital copy (on your phone) of key contacts and customers.
• Keep an alternate email or text message list you can use in emergencies.
• Have a manual backup for taking orders — even a paper pad if needed.
• Set up phone-based payment options in case your online checkout fails.

You don’t need to be fully digital to stay operational. In fact, hybrid access — online and offline — is often the safest model.

Vendor Lock-In: The Hidden Risk

The AWS outage revealed another growing problem: vendor concentration.

A handful of cloud providers — Amazon, Microsoft, and Google — power most of the global internet. When one falters, millions of businesses feel it.

That’s why diversity in your tech stack is smart business strategy. Use different providers for different needs when possible. Don’t host your website, email, and customer data all in the same ecosystem. And when you evaluate new software, ask the vendor where your data lives — and what happens if their primary system fails.

Test Your “Plan B”

A disaster plan that lives only in your head won’t help you when your system crashes.

At least once a year, simulate a short outage. Pretend your website is offline for a few hours. Walk through how you’d continue operating:

• How would you reach your team?
• How would you take orders or payments?
• How would you notify customers?

This exercise exposes gaps before they become real-world problems — and builds confidence that your business can withstand disruptions.

Resilience Is a Competitive Advantage

When crises strike, the most prepared businesses win.

Redundancy, backups, and data ownership might sound like technical details, but they’re really about leadership. They show that you value your customers’ trust and your business’s reputation.

The AWS outage was a reminder that no one is immune from digital disruptions. But those who prepare — who own their data, plan for failure, and think ahead — can keep moving even when the cloud goes dark.