Mission-Critical vs. Non-Mission-Critical

After reviewing the data it became apparent that we needed to separate the infrastructure between mission-critical (24×7) and non-mission-critical (9×5) support. Always a controversial subject, but necessary to do. Controversial because people will argue that in the client/server world the desktop is just as critical as those big data center servers housing the applications or database. We happen to agree. This is where we need to put this to bed once and for all. If a mission-critical server goes down, it affects hundreds and sometimes thousands of users, but should a single desktop or even a LAN go down, some people might be inconvenienced for a while, but it won't break the bank. Those enterprise systems for HR, manufacturing, etc., are mission-critical. Systems requiring around-the-clock support need to be branded mission-critical. Mission-critical support needs critical processes that require a specialized group like production control to implement and maintain them.

The 24×7 group is paid not to sleep. Their life should evolve around the infrastructure. When a server goes down, the on-call support staff jumps. The 9×5 group is equally as important but is not on call twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week. The specificity of mission-critical will vary from company to company. For example, some businesses may require 24×7 support for e-mail.