
A single point of failure (SPOF) means any system or a part of systems that, if it becomes dysfunctional, will cause the entire system to shut down. It can be a network, software application, or industrial design, and recovery could be extremely costly and time-consuming. A design, implementation, or system failure can cause a potential risk or single point of failure (SPOF.) A SPOF occurs when one failure or malfunction causes the whole system to stop running. Learn More.