CRITICAL SYSTEMS -

CHARACTERISTICS & EXAMPLES

● Safety Critical Systems

● Safety Related Systems
● Mission Critical Systems
● Business Critical Systems
Safety Critical Systems
A safety-critical system or life-critical system is a system whose failure or malfunction may result in one (or
more) of the following outcomes:

● Death or serious injury to people

● Loss or severe damage to equipment/property
● Environmental harm
Medical Devices:

Examples:
Ventilators: Used to support patients with respiratory failure.
Pacemakers: Regulate heart rhythms and prevent life-threatening arrhythmias.
Infusion Pumps: Deliver precise doses of medication to patients
Automotive Systems:

Examples:
Electronic Stability Control (ESC): Helps maintain control during slippery conditions.
Airbag Systems: Deploy to protect passengers during collisions.
Aerospace Systems:

Examples:
Flight Control Systems: Ensure stable and controlled flight, including autopilots and guidance systems.
Emergency Oxygen Systems: Provide life-saving oxygen supply in case of cabin depressurization.
Nuclear Power Plant Control Systems:

Examples:
Reactor Control Systems: Monitor and control nuclear reactions to prevent overheating or
meltdowns.
Emergency Shutdown Systems: Designed to rapidly shut down the reactor in case of emergencies.
Safety Related Systems

What does it mean?

Safety Related Systems
● Safety Related Systems are systems that are designed and implemented to reduce or control risks to an acceptable
level.

● These systems are used in various industries and applications to ensure the safety of people, the environment, and
assets.
Safety Related Systems

Examples:
Fire alarm systems: are designed to detect the presence of a fire and alert occupants or emergency services.

They help prevent injuries and property damage by providing early warnings and facilitating a rapid response.
Safety Related Systems
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) in Cars: ABS prevents wheel lockup during sudden braking, allowing the
driver to maintain steering control.

This system reduces the risk of accidents and improves vehicle safety.
Safety Related Systems

Emergency Shutdown System (ESD) in a chemical Plant:

ESD systems are designed to quickly shut down critical processes in the event of an emergency, such as
a fire, gas leak, or other hazardous conditions.
The Difference

Safety critical systems are of the utmost importance for preventing catastrophic outcomes, while safety related systems
contribute to safety without the same level of criticality.
Mission Critical Systems

● They are essential to the survival of a business or organization.

● If a mission-critical system is interrupted, the organization’s operations are
severely affected.
● ‘Mission critical’ refers to any factor in an organization, a project, or system
that is crucial to their operations or survival.
How To Identify A Mission Critical System !

If loss or unavailability might cause one or more of the following conditions:-

1. Risk to human/research-animal life or safety.
2. Significant negative impact on the university’s research, teaching and
learning, administrative, business or healthcare missions.
 ● Essential to the “Core Mission”
Characteristics ●
●
High reliability and availability
Focused on safety and security.
● Robust and failure-safe.
● Speed, Supportability and Scalability
● Redundancy. i.e., if one component
fails, another should take it place
immediately. (eg:- Power Backup)
Mission-Critical Systems - Examples & Reasonings

Emergency Dispatch Systems

● They directly impact the ability of policy, fire and medical services to
respond swiftly to critical situations.
● Reliable networking, stable voice communications, swift dispatching, fast
deployment and efficient coordination are crucial for them.
Healthcare Patient Monitoring Systems
● These systems directly impact patient care and safety.

Air Traffic Control Systems

● Ensures the safety of air travels and prevent mid air collisions.

In both systems, human life or safety is at risk if the system fails or is interrupted.
Other Examples

● Defense and Military Operations

● Emergency Services
● Aerospace and Aviation
● Healthcare and Patient Care
● Energy and Utilities
● Space Exploration
● Public Safety and Law Enforcement
● Disaster Response and Management
● Energy and Utilities

And more…
Business Critical Systems

Business-critical applications (BCAs) are all applications that are essential to everyday business
operations.
Examples of Business Critical Systems

● Financial apps : Financial applications allow businesses to handle huge amounts of sensitive financial
information and make transitions
● Medical apps : Medical critical applications help hospitals and doctor’s offices exchange confidential
patient data, store nursing resources
● Messaging systems : Messaging and communication apps are regularly overlooked as business critical,
but if they falter it can cause an enormous amount of difficulty for an organization
● Legacy systems : Legacy systems such as enterprise resource planning tools (ERP) are the most common
form of business-critical applications
Why do these examples fall into Business Critical Systems?

❏ These systems support the organization's core activities and are essential to day-to-day business
operations are known as business-critical systems
❏ They are vital to the support of many corporate functions even though they are not directly involved
in the main goal
❏ Significant disruptions and monetary losses may result from the collapse of business-critical systems
Characteristics that make an application Business critical

➢ Reliability
➢ Security
➢ Support
➢ Maintenance
➢ Support
➢ Testing
➢ Business Continuity
Thank You !