AVOID IT DOWNTIME — HERE ARE 5 TIPS TO HELP
IT downtime can be very expensive. Most people don’t think about their IT until it stops working. But once everything comes to a halt and your productivity is on hold, IT becomes very important.
On average, it takes 30 hours to recover from IT failures, which can be devastating for a business of any size. The average price tag of IT downtime is $42,000 an hour for small- to medium-sized businesses, according to Gartner.
What can businesses do to safeguard against this expensive problem?
Here are five tips that may help you avoid IT downtime:
Consider the benefits of cloud solutions. Solutions that are rooted in the cloud allow you some protection against downtime. For example, Microsoft Office 365 guarantees 99 percent uptime. This is very important during an unexpected event or disaster when employees can’t physically reach the office. They can still access information remotely.
Ensure hardware functionality. The largest culprit of downtime is hardware failure — which represents about 55 percent of all downtime events at SMBs. One option for ensuring that your hardware is functioning properly is working with an IT partner. A good IT partner can help prevent issues, and quickly resolve any challenges should a problem occur.
Examine your existing software. If you’ve ever had a software problem, you can understand the frustration that results when the technology isn’t working properly. In fact, software accounts for 18 percent of downtime, which is why it’s important to continuously evaluate software solutions. Oftentimes a cloud-based solution offers additional predictability and functionality for remote workers.
Evaluate your existing IT plan. For small businesses, a tech-savvy employee may be handling IT needs, while larger companies may have a dedicated IT staff. But even with an internal staff, employees can become busy, overwhelmed, or may lack specific expertise in certain areas. Twenty-two percent of downtime is the result of human error. Minimize this risk by considering a partnership with an IT expert.
Monitor continuously. Employees and customers expect you to be up 24/7, which adds additional pressure during outages. A good IT partner can assist with continuous monitoring, which helps with preventing and quickly resolving any challenges that arise.
Do you have questions? If so, please contact CMIT Solutions of Stamford at 203-595-9091 today.
