Today at work we lost the network connection to the datacenter... no email, no business systems, no internet, no ANYTHING. We have offices across the US, hundreds of employees. What happened was the wrong command was entered in a piece of network equipment that took it all down.
We had 20 people on a conference call representing all of the different groups that manage various systems, including our VP, and even when the network was back working as it should, several systems had to be restarted to get them working again. When the systems aren't up, business doesn't get written.
I feel so bad for the guy that did it. I've worked with him for almost 17 years, one of my best friends, and I know he was upset. He was told by the VP that something of this magnitude couldn't go without consequences. I don't think he will lose his job but he may be put on probation which means no raise, no bonus, and not eligible for any other awards. :-(
Everyone makes mistakes, we're not robots. I've made my share over the years and I know that sinking feeling when you realize what you did.