Learn from Google

When Gmail Went Down:
Can Your Team Handle a Cloud Outage?

In 2014, a configuration error brought down Gmail, Calendar, and Docs for millions. Incident Drill lets you simulate and learn from this and other real-world incidents, preparing your team for anything.

Google | 2014 | Outage (Cloud)

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The Problem: Unexpected Cloud Failures

Cloud infrastructure is complex and **prone to unexpected failures**. A single misconfiguration, like the one that hit Gmail, can have a **massive impact** and damage your reputation. Are you prepared to react quickly and effectively?

PREPARE YOUR TEAM

Incident Drill: Practice Makes Perfect

Incident Drill provides realistic incident simulations based on real-world events like the Gmail outage. Your team will practice incident response, communication, and troubleshooting under pressure, building the **muscle memory** needed to **minimize downtime** and **prevent future incidents**.

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Realistic Simulations

Experience the pressure of a real outage in a safe environment.

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Team Collaboration

Practice communication and coordination during critical incidents.

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Hands-on Troubleshooting

Develop your skills in diagnosing and resolving complex issues.

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Performance Analysis

Identify areas for improvement and track your team's progress.

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Post-Incident Review

Learn from each simulation with detailed reports and actionable insights.

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Cloud-Focused Scenarios

Master incident response for modern cloud architectures.

WHY TEAMS PRACTICE THIS

Master Cloud Incident Response

✓ Reduce downtime during outages
✓ Improve team communication under pressure
✓ Strengthen troubleshooting skills
✓ Prevent future incidents through proactive learning
✓ Increase confidence in handling cloud failures
✓ Minimize the impact of critical incidents

0:00

Misconfiguration deployed to internal system

+5 min

Gmail, Calendar, and Docs start throwing errors ERROR

+15 min

Engineers identify the misconfiguration

+25 min

Corrected configuration deployed FIXED

How It Works

Step 1: Simulate

Run a realistic incident simulation based on the Gmail outage.

Step 2: Respond

Your team works together to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Step 3: Analyze

Review the post-incident report to identify areas for improvement.

Step 4: Improve

Implement changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.

EXPLORE MORE

Related Incidents

Ready to Level Up Your Incident Response?

Join the Incident Drill waitlist and be among the first to experience realistic incident simulations that will transform your team's ability to handle cloud outages.

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When Gmail Went Down:Can Your Team Handle a Cloud Outage?