// THREAT DETECTION AND DATA PRIVACY TERM

Failover

Failover is a backup operational mode where a primary system, component, or application automatically switches to a redundant or standby secondary system upon failure or abnormal termination, ensuring continuous operation. This process helps maintain service availability even when parts of the system go down.

TECHNICAL DEFINITION

Failover is an automated high-availability mechanism in cybersecurity and defense architectures, enabling the seamless and immediate transition of operational control from a failed primary system or network component to a pre-configured, redundant secondary system to maintain uninterrupted service, data integrity, and mission continuity during outages. It's a critical component for disaster recovery and business continuity planning, ensuring system resilience against failures.

BACKGROUND

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to computer security:

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SYNONYMS & ALIASES

  • Automatic switchover
  • Redundancy switch
  • Backup activation
  • System recovery
  • Disaster recovery mechanism
  • High availability transition

USAGE NOTE

In defense, failover is critical for maintaining command and control systems, surveillance, and critical infrastructure operations, often implemented across geographically dispersed data centers to mitigate localized threats.

DEVELOPERS

Organizations developing technology related to Failover.

  • Cisco

    Develops networking and cybersecurity solutions, including firewalls and security appliances that incorporate high availability and failover mechanisms to ensure continuous operation of critical security functions.

  • Palo Alto Networks

    A leading cybersecurity company providing next-generation firewalls and cloud security solutions with built-in high availability and failover features for continuous threat prevention.

  • Fortinet

    Offers a broad portfolio of cybersecurity solutions, including FortiGate firewalls, that feature high availability and failover capabilities to maintain security posture without interruption.

  • Check Point Software Technologies

    Provides enterprise-grade security gateways and management platforms that include robust clustering and failover functionalities to ensure maximum uptime and resilience for security infrastructure.

  • Juniper Networks

    Develops secure networking solutions, including SRX Series firewalls and routers, which support high availability through redundant configurations and automatic failover for uninterrupted security services.

  • F5 Networks

    Specializes in application delivery and security, providing solutions that include advanced load balancing and intelligent failover capabilities to ensure the continuous availability and protection of critical applications and services.

  • VMware

    Offers virtualization and cloud infrastructure platforms widely used for hosting security applications and services, providing high availability and disaster recovery features (e.g., vSphere HA, Site Recovery Manager) that facilitate failover for critical security workloads.

  • Microsoft Azure

    Provides a comprehensive cloud platform with extensive security services, leveraging its distributed infrastructure for high availability, geo-redundancy, and automatic failover for cloud-based security components and applications.

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)

    Offers a broad suite of cloud computing and security services built on a highly available infrastructure, utilizing availability zones and regions to provide robust redundancy and failover capabilities for cloud security deployments.

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