Mission Critical – A perceiving thought based on self destruction.

Cogently evolving is the dilemma for the phrase `Mission Critical`. Conjunction of the two words `mission` and `critical` creates an ambiguous situation theorizing mission critical. Software world today has risen from simple computing tasks to be a partner in life. Although hypothetical, this theory of software comprises of needs that one can emphasize with electronic gadgets to super computers.

Software is demanded to perform better, faster, more efficiently and more conveniently by everyone. Also humans try to emphasize what they perceive as `Mission Critical`. Application and software environment is termed Mission Critical only if it threatens the very aspect of its own existence. This is the crucial definition on which this thought is based. There are several examples to establish and strengthen the argument. To illustrate let us dive into what a software application is all about. A coherent mixture of user interfaces, databases, operating systems, hardware such as servers, routers and personal computers, business fundamental logics and business data. Such an application serves to benefit a manufacturing, insurance, transportation, etc business segments by enabling computing tasks to be managed the application instead of the people themselves. To engulf benefits from such applications, people must rely more on the application than the people. The more reliance on the software, hardware and computing the more the benefit. As dependency increases on applications it becomes more important to plan for the risks this reliance imposes.

The treat to one is more from oneself than from anyone else. People may plan to overcome, mitigate, subside and eliminate risks pertaining to the business reliance on software applications. But such a plan focuses towards the risks pertaining to the threat or the harm caused to the application by other applications or people, circumstances. And hence people tend to state an application `Mission Critical` if the reliance of business is more on application. For example a manufacturing firm may state their ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) application as `Mission Critical` based on the potential threats that may cause it harm from external factors. For example if the application is continually being updated with new versions, patches and upgrades, this poses a threat to the existing business. And if the application miss functions or becomes incompatible due to such upgrades the business system may collapse.

Although the preceding definition may be pondered upon, the criteria to term an application `Mission Critical` demands a further study. A software application is as weak as it weakest link. It can be easily established that if an application is vulnerable from itself and it does cause quantifiable harm substantially, then it can be termed as `Mission Critical`. For example a software application which maintains flight monitoring/landing/takeoff system for an Airline industry. If this application has a bug which may be dormant for years, but based on the application's size or growth may get activated some day. This may threaten the system which may cause quantifiable damage in terms of no of flights getting cancelled, delayed or even loss of lives due to mishaps at take off and landing. Another example is the financial system of a firm which maintains financial data. This application or the sever or the hardware may be defective in ways that can hamper the application itself, then it can be termed as `Mission Critical`.

The opponents of this argument above may state that ultimately we are gauging the depth of the destruction caused by an application rather than its ability to self destruct. But the destruction may be small, caused by the application vulnerability itself, but to recover from the situation the firm or organization may need to spend enormous amount of dollars. Also to strengthen the argument, one may be encouraged to analyze factors which make the application a threat against itself. Ultimately human safety comes first and one can only plan to minimize the risks or be prepared for application failures. We are in a world of dynamic and continual change and so we can’t predict to perfection. Terming an application `Mission Critical` - at least helps to get attention within an organization!