22 Oct When the Cloud Wobbles: What the AWS Outage Means for South African Businesses
When Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down earlier this month, millions of people around the world suddenly found themselves staring at error screens. Even here in South Africa, local apps, online services, and banking platforms felt the ripple effects. As reported by TechCentral, local services were among those affected.
It was a sharp reminder that our digital world is tightly connected — and that sometimes, even the biggest players can stumble.At Tanosec, we don’t specialise in cloud hosting or AWS itself, but we do focus on helping South African businesses stay resilient when things go wrong. And that’s exactly what this outage highlighted: the importance of understanding where your risks lie, and how to keep going when technology doesn’t cooperate.
So, what actually went wrong?
Think of AWS like the “electricity grid” of the internet. Thousands of companies — from small businesses to giant banks — plug their services into it so that websites, apps, and databases can run smoothly.
On 20 October 2025, one of AWS’s major data hubs in the United States (called “US-East-1”) developed a technical fault. According to Amazon Web Services’ official status page, the outage began in their US-East-1 region.The issue was with how computers inside AWS were “finding each other” — similar to a big office where no one’s phone extension list suddenly works.
When those systems couldn’t talk properly, other connected services began to slow down or stop altogether. Because so many global apps rely on AWS, that tiny break in communication spread quickly — like a power cut that starts in one city but ends up affecting others on the same grid.
Even though the problem wasn’t in South Africa, local apps and online services that use AWS in the background — including design tools, banking systems, and some websites — were caught in the ripple.
AWS engineers fixed the issue within hours, but it was a reminder that “the cloud” is just someone else’s computer, and it can fail too
Why this matters (even if you don’t “do cloud”)
The truth is, almost every business today depends on something in the cloud — whether it’s your accounting software, your email, or the app your customers use to reach you.
So when a platform like AWS goes down, it can quietly interrupt your work too.
This isn’t about pointing fingers at big tech. It’s about recognising that resilience doesn’t only mean having good antivirus software — it means being prepared for any disruption, no matter where it starts.
What can you do about it?
Start small. Here are a few simple but powerful ways to protect your business from future hiccups like this one:
Know your dependencies: Make a quick list of the tools or services you use every day. Which of them rely on online platforms?
Have a “Plan B”: If one system went offline for a few hours, how would you keep operating? A backup tool or manual process can go a long way.
Keep people in the loop: Whether it’s your staff or your customers, communicating early and honestly during downtime builds trust.
Test your readiness: You don’t have to wait for a crisis. Try running a short “what if” exercise — what if email went down for a day? What if payments stopped processing?
These small steps can save you stress, money, and reputation when something unexpected happens.
Tanosec’s take
At Tanosec, we help South African organisations strengthen their security and continuity posture. That doesn’t just mean defending against hackers — it means building confidence that your business can keep going, even when the tech world wobbles a bit.
If the AWS outage made you think about how dependent your business has become on the cloud, that’s a good thing. Awareness is the first step toward resilience.
Want to find out where your hidden risks might be — and how to plan for them? Let’s chat.