When should an alert be raised if the selected location cannot access a web application?

Raising an alert after a certain number of consecutive failures is a strategic approach that allows for better context regarding the reliability and availability of the web application. This method reduces the likelihood of false positives due to transient issues or sporadic network glitches that may not indicate a systemic problem.

By implementing a threshold for consecutive failures, the monitoring system can ensure that alerts are only generated when there is a significant and sustained problem that requires attention. This approach helps maintain focus on genuine issues that affect user experience while preventing unnecessary alerts that might distract from the actual problems. Additionally, this can aid in identifying patterns leading to root cause analysis, as multiple failures in succession might indicate a more serious connectivity or configuration issue affecting that specific location's ability to access the application.

In contrast, raising an alert immediately on failure might not provide enough context — a single failure could be due to network hiccups or temporary outages. Similarly, waiting until the end of the testing day or relying on user reports can delay response times to critical issues, potentially harming user experience and service reliability.