Google loses data as lightning strikes

Google loses data as lightning strikes

| Source: BBC Author: Mark Campbell

Google loses data as lightning strikes

Google has lost a large amount of data after lightning strikes one of its data centers in Belgium 4 times, with some people having lost some of their data permanently.

In an online statement Google has stated that just 0.000001% of it's desk space at the site was permanently affected, though this will still affect a considerable amount of data within the site. Right now we do not know what kind of data was affected by the lightning strikes, or who was affected, but we know that the servers belonged to the Google Computer Engine (GCE) Service, which is used to store client data and run Virtual machines on the cloud.

Below is part of a statement from Google Engineer James Wilman:

"Although automatic auxiliary systems restored power quickly, and the storage systems are designed with battery backup, some recently written data was located on storage systems which were more susceptible to power failure from extended or repeated battery drain,"



"Everything in the data centre is connected one way or another," "If you get four large strikes it wouldn't surprise me that it has affected the facility."

Although the likelihood of losing data due to lightning strike is very low in these facilities, it seems that Google's current precautions were not adequate to prevent data loss in this unlikely occurrence. Google have said that they will be continuing to upgrade hardware in order to make data loss less likely in the future.

You can join the discussion on Google losing data due to multiple lightning strikes on the OC3D Forums.

Google lost a large amount of data after lightning strikes one of its data centers 4 times. http://t.co/EYTEkjf2L5 pic.twitter.com/RGQkyiczO1 — OC3D (@OC3D) August 19, 2015

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