Maybe you don't need those 9's

I understand that you, as a responsible Software Engineer, would like your application to be as close to 100% uptime as possible.

It’s the right thing to do.

Yet sometimes, the business doesn’t require more than 95%.

More is probably better, yet it cannot afford more.

Making the business invest more to get to a 99.99% uptime that it doesn’t need might get it into trouble.

Aiming for 99.99% uptime without discussing it with the business is a betrayal of the trust it’s placing in you.

Your job is to understand the needs and limitations of your business.

Your Software Engineering expertise allows you to fill knowledge gaps by clarifying available solutions, risks, costs, and tradeoffs.

If they still want their 95%, that’s what you should go for.