IT Downtime: What You Need to Know

When IT systems go down, it can affect your business in a range of ways.  Companies can be impacted through lost revenue,  lower productivity, and the cost of recovery. Not only is downtime expensive, it can be frustrating for your customers and employees – especially those in the IT department.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common causes of downtime, the costs to your business, and how you can take steps to prevent it.

The Common Causes of IT Downtime

• Outdated Hardware – Older hardware can cause IT issues like data traffic flow congestion and can crash by failing to execute complex applications – which may require the latest hardware to run smoothly. The older your hardware, the more likely it is to fail.
• Software Failure – The issue here lies in the lack of testing before releasing patches. This can result in the corruption of applications that can bring down an entire system. Operating systems can limp along for some time before dying, contributing to software failure. Viruses or malware are also common culprits.
• Human Error – Recent studies have placed human error as either the first or second most frequent cause of server downtime. Many of the highest-profile outages of the last few years can be directly attributed to human error.
• Environmental Causes – Hurricanes, fires, and floods can disrupt power, communications and make transportation difficult or impossible. Systems, networks, and many other services can suffer.
• Improper Configuration – When hardware or software is improperly configured, it can cause significant downtime. For example, router configuration errors can break internet connections, web browsing services, and other crucial business services.

The Cost to You

In business, time is money, and when your IT goes down, it can cost you big time! According to Gartner, downtime costs $5,600 per minute on average. But the cost goes far beyond revenue loss. As a business you have associated costs related to:

• Lost productivity
• Lost data
• Recovery
• Reputational damage

Ways to Prevent Downtime

Taking proactive steps and actively monitoring devices can help prevent downtime.

• Regularly test server backups to make sure you’re ready in the event of a failure. Having a current backup can help to reduce damage and get you back up and running quickly.
• Monitor your server’s health and watch for red flags. Consider adding a network monitoring solution so you’ll get alerts on unusual events like high CPU or memory usage, or if a server suddenly reboots. Network monitoring provides an extra layer of protection against downtime.
• Keep your technology and software regularly updated to maintain your systems’ health, security, and stability. Install current updates and patches for operating systems, applications, and hardware.

Downtime can’t be completely eliminated. However, taking a proactive approach and having the right processes in place can lessen its impact and keep your business running as smoothly as possible. Let Allied Business Solutions provide your business with a free assessment  to ensure you and your staff are prepared and ready for 2021!   Contact us today!  208-344-3833