Availability is a Usability Issue
If a web site is unavailable, this will affect everyone who tries to use it. Availability is a usability issue.
A web site being "down" can have the same effect as if someone cannot do what they want, it takes them too long, it leaves them frustrated or it is prone to the introduction of errors.
There are sometimes good reasons for downtime. The servers may be having software updates applied (patching). Depending on the requirements, some organisations may close a web application down during backing up, during a data update or during a change to the application.
Unavailability may also be due to excessive server loading, network connectivity problems, equipment failure or due to an attack by malicious users. If you have to take a site down for repair, your users are being denied use of the service.
Where possible try to minimise planned (scheduled) downtime and monitor the uptime semi-continuously (checking for text on some web pages or important transactions every 5 minutes, from more than one external location). For planned outages, I recommend you inform users well in advance and provide a meaningful message screen - not just a default error page.
Posted on: 30 September 2008 at 11:45 hrs
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