As the year draws to a close, we are slightly shifting the editorial lens of Above Trends, Beyond Insights. Instead of chasing the latest headlines, this end-of-year edition takes a step back, offering space for reflection on the dynamics that quietly shaped technology decisions over the past months. It is a moment to look beyond immediacy, to revisit overlooked signals, and to consider what truly mattered as organizations prepare to turn the page and define priorities for the year ahead.

The CrowdStrike outage and the illusion of digital resilience

In July 2024, a faulty software update from CrowdStrike triggered a global IT outage that disrupted airlines, hospitals, financial institutions and public services across multiple continents. The incident was not caused by a cyberattack, nor by malicious intent, but by a breakdown in update validation and dependency management within a highly interconnected digital ecosystem.

What made the outage particularly instructive was its scale and speed. Within hours, organizations that considered themselves technologically mature found core operations halted by a single point of failure outside their direct control. The event exposed a structural vulnerability that often goes unnoticed: as digital infrastructures become more efficient and automated, they also become more tightly coupled, amplifying the impact of errors rather than absorbing them.

For many leaders, the lesson was not about vendor trust or software quality alone. It was about governance, redundancy and the strategic oversight of critical dependencies. In moments when technology briefly pauses, strategy becomes visible. Decisions made long before an incident determine how resilient an organization truly is when systems fail.

TREND TRACKER

Hidden dependencies in digital ecosystems

The CrowdStrike outage brought renewed attention to a broader and growing issue in the tech landscape: the accumulation of hidden dependencies across software, cloud services and security tools. As organizations rely on increasingly specialized vendors and automated processes, systemic risk shifts from individual components to the connections between them.

This trend is reshaping how resilience is understood. Business continuity is no longer only about preventing cyberattacks or ensuring uptime, but about mapping interdependencies, anticipating cascading failures and designing systems that can degrade gracefully rather than collapse abruptly. For decision-makers, visibility and governance are becoming as critical as performance and speed.

Want to learn more?

• World Economic Forum – Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025

• ENISA – ENISA Threat Landscape 2024

• TechRadar Pro – Businesses are struggling to address vulnerabilities hidden in phantom dependencies

QUICK INSIGHT

How to surface critical dependencies before they fail

Periods of lower operational pressure, such as year-end slowdowns, offer a rare opportunity to examine structural risks without urgency. A few practical steps can help turn reflection into preparedness:

• Map external dependencies tied to mission-critical processes, including security updates, cloud services and third-party APIs.

• Identify which systems lack fallback options or manual overrides in case of disruption.

• Assign clear ownership for dependency monitoring across IT, security and business functions.

• Test “failure scenarios” at a strategic level, focusing on decision-making speed rather than technical recovery alone.

WHO IS BABINI MAZZARI

Our Value Proposition

Babini Mazzari is the strategic IT partner for European companies looking to navigate digital transformation in a structured, pragmatic, and sustainable way.
We don’t just deliver technical solutions - we work as an extension of your internal team, helping you integrate systems, optimize processes, and lead change with clarity and competence.

Our approach is built on listening, transparency, and a strong results-driven culture. Whether you're scaling, modernizing, or rethinking your operating model, we support every client with the right tools, clear methodology, and long-term vision.
Above Technology. Beyond Solutions.

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