Fact or Fiction: Space Weather Can Cause Hardware Failures

It's Possible.

Ok, hold up. Solar flares won't cause your server to melt or anything so dramatic.

But it's perfectly true that space weather can affect certain kinds of technology. Space weather activity like solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and geomagnetic storms are happening on a pretty regular basis. Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere keep us pretty well protected from most solar radiation, but when there's enough solar weather activity going on, it can cause interference with all kinds of technology including radio communications, satellites, radar, GPS positioning, internet connectivity, and power grids.

Wait, is this for real?

Yep. It's legit — no tin foil hats necessary.

Meme showing game background image with sun representing solar flares and game character representing your IT environment

The Space Weather Prediction Center (part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA), even has “Space Weather Scales” to show the different levels of storms and their possible effects. The chart below focuses specifically on geomagnetic storms, but their website also has similar charts for solar radiation storms and radio blackouts.

We might be experts on a lot of things in the IT hardware industry, but the nuances of space weather is not one of our areas of expertise, so check out the NOAA website to learn more. Suffice it to say that it's true that space weather can affect technology.

NOAA Space Weather Scales

Has M Global Seen the Affects of Solar Weather?

Upsurge in tickets during solar weather flares

We did see an uptick in service tickets that coincided with all the crazy solar weather we experienced this summer. Coincidence? Maybe. We're not donning our tin foil hats quite yet, but they are on the rack!

The good news is that with M Global hardware support, you'll be covered regardless of what the sun throws our way!*

*some restrictions apply 🔥🔥🔥