At EVERNET Consulting, we know firsthand the importance of reliable and efficient practice management software for law firms. That’s why we were concerned to hear about the recent outage at Zola Suite, which left users unable to login to the system on December 8th.
As a provider of IT support for law firms, we understand the impact that these kinds of disruptions can have on a business. We appreciate Zola Suite’s transparency in providing details about the incident and the steps they are taking to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
So What Happened?
According to Zola Suite, the outage was caused by a series of events that led to the primary database going offline. The storage device became maxed out from a job intended to improve performance, but it did not follow the company’s internal process for review. This incident was a human error and a breakdown of supporting monitors, alerts, and other protections in place to prevent it.
We are relieved to hear that the incident was not a breach in security and that all customer data remained secure. Zola Suite has assured customers that they have taken the incident very seriously and are implementing several measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future, including stronger alert correlation, increased staff training on their change control process, an improved escalation process, and a change to the primary database.
Why Did It Happen?
To provide even more detail on the incident, Zola Suite has released a Reason For Outage (RFO) Report. The report includes a timeline of the incident, as well as a resolution summary and a list of corrective actions that the company is taking to prevent similar occurrences in the future. According to the report, the root cause of the failure was a decision to run a database index job to improve performance within the application. The job created an unexpected number of logs which filled the primary storage device. Zola Suite has a process in place to review all activity prior to deploying into production, but in this case, due to human error, this process wasn’t followed. Additionally, the report states that the monitoring system was turned off during a recent upgrade but not re-enabled prior to running the job, which contributed to the unplanned and unexpected nature of the outage.
As an IT support provider, we understand the importance of taking preventative measures to ensure the smooth operation of a law firm’s technology. We appreciate Zola Suite’s commitment to continuous improvement and apologize for any disruption that the incident may have caused.
If you have any questions or concerns about your practice management software, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at EVERNET Consulting. We are here to help you succeed.
Eric is a Business IT cybersecurity advisor, consultant, manager, integrator, and protector who founded EVERNET in 2007. Eric co-hosts a podcast called “Finance and Technology Insights by Brian & Eric” on YouTube. Eric is a regular contributor to the EVERNET blog, writing about the latest technology news and providing his expertise in cyber security prevention and management. Meet with our CEO and say goodbye to one-size-fits-all IT support and cybersecurity.
