What factors are causing the increased latency in Transmit Security's passwordless authentication service during peak hours?

Introduction

Transmit Security's passwordless authentication service is experiencing increased latency during peak hours, potentially impacting user experience and system reliability. To address this critical issue, I'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and resolve the root cause while considering both immediate fixes and long-term solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this might be a capacity issue. Can you provide more details on when these peak hours typically occur and how long they last?

Why it matters: Understanding the pattern of peak hours helps identify potential capacity constraints. Expected answer: Peak hours occur during business hours, lasting 2-3 hours. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on scaling solutions during specific time windows.

• Considering the nature of passwordless authentication, I'm curious about the specific latency metrics. What's the current average latency during peak hours compared to off-peak times?

Why it matters: This helps quantify the problem and set benchmarks for improvement. Expected answer: Peak latency is 2-3 times higher than off-peak. Impact on approach: Significant differences would suggest investigating load-specific issues.

• Given the critical nature of authentication services, I'm wondering about the scope of impact. What percentage of users or authentication attempts are affected by this increased latency?

Why it matters: Helps prioritize the issue and understand its breadth. Expected answer: 30-40% of authentication attempts during peak hours are affected. Impact on approach: High impact would necessitate more urgent and comprehensive solutions.

• Thinking about recent changes, have there been any significant updates to the authentication service or related infrastructure in the past month?

Why it matters: Recent changes could be directly related to the latency increase. Expected answer: A new feature was rolled out two weeks ago. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on analyzing the impact of this specific change.