PSN Still Out. Why? (My Best Guess)

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Rebuilding a Network from Scratch

First, let me say this post is based on my own experiences in IT and computer programming. I have no knowledge of what Sony is actually doing, but this is my best guess.

So Sony had an intrusion. Why isn't this a non-event and we go on with our lives? Simple, PSN accounts have associated names, addresses, and credit card information.

Now according to Sony they have people working around the clock trying to rebuild the network. As much as anyone would like to believe them, I'm calling BS.

Here's the thing, a major rebuild requires an architect. One guy who, in essence sees the big picture. This is true for both small software as well as products like office. It is especially true in IT, where interactions can cause major problems.

Now think about it, if you have one guy you're depending on to give orders to everyone, it simply isn't possible to have them up for 5 days straight and have a coherent strategy. Hop that person up with as much Ritalin and coffee as you want, by about 24 hours they'll start to make mistakes.

So we have the outage on Wednesday and 48 hours to investigate/formulate a plan of attack. That brings us up to Good Friday, a holiday for a lot of people.

Assuming the mitigation plan on Friday/Saturday was to rebuild the network as evidenced by blog posts, I suspect that this nameless person would have taken Easter off. I mean really, work is one thing but family, they are paramount. So at best I give this foreman of the network 24 hours in the last 5 days to put a set of orders together. (Assuming 12 hours on Friday and 12 on Saturday.)

Now 24 hours seems like a lot of time, but you have to realize 90% of that time would have been working with other engineers to get a grasp on the changes needed and to start to formulate a new networking strategy.

I'm guessing that the real work has just started today. I'd expect some real progress in the next 24-48 hours, but don't be surprised if PSN is off into the weekend.

Incentives for Getting the Lights Back On

So even through people point out PSN is free, it really isn't. PSN pays for its self via online purchases and such. Ever wonder why a game that costs $5 in the store still costs $30 on PSN? It is because Sony controls the pricing and can get people to pay the higher rate to have the game right now.

Every second PSN is down, they are losing money. Lots of money. So while I've painted a picture of doom and gloom above, I could be wrong. Money talks and depending on who's overseeing the network overhaul, the architect could be listening.