Critical infrastructure guide
Single Points of Failure
How to identify components or dependencies whose loss can stop an essential service.
Systems note: infrastructure classifications, standards and responsibilities vary by country and operator. Use current local requirements for real decisions.
Why this matters
How to identify components or dependencies whose loss can stop an essential service.
Core system ideas
A single point of failure can be a physical asset, software service, communications link, supplier, role or location.
The important question is whether a credible alternate path exists when the element is unavailable.
Mitigation can include redundancy, inventory, alternate procedures, segmentation or faster recovery rather than duplication alone.
What to review
Useful reviews usually combine service criticality, dependencies, condition, capacity, maintenance, alternate arrangements, restoration time and clear ownership rather than relying on one isolated metric.