High Availability
Also known as: HA
High availability means a system is built so that a single failed component does not interrupt ongoing operation, without human intervention.
High availability (HA) means a system is designed so that the failure of one component - a server, a hard drive, a power supply - does not stop the business from running. It exists because individual components eventually fail no matter how good they are, and a business has to decide whether it wants that cushioned or not.
In practice this works through duplicated components: two power supplies in one server, two servers that can each take over the same job, or a main internet line with a second one as fallback. When one part fails, the other takes over automatically, without anyone stepping in.
The most common mistake is confusing high availability with backup. A backup saves data after a failure has already happened; high availability prevents the failure from causing an interruption in the first place - a business typically needs both, but they solve different problems.
What it means in practice
For a business this means: high availability pays off where even a few minutes of downtime gets expensive - a checkout, a production line - and is unnecessary overhead elsewhere. NDVDL reviews it system by system to find where duplication is actually worth it, instead of applying it everywhere by default.
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