In today’s digital age, businesses increasingly rely on technology to make sure that all of their operations are connected and run smoothly. When there are issues with those systems, or they go offline, even for a short period of time, they can have significant effects on the company. This interruption to operations is called downtime and can create issues with the team, with customer or client communications and can cost the company reputationally and financially. This article explains what downtime is, why it happens and how to prepare for it, helping you protect your business continuity and keep your organization running smoothly.
What is Downtime?
Digital downtime is any period when your systems, online services or devices are unavailable. When these issues crop up, normal day-to-day business operations can be (sometimes completely) interrupted. This affects business continuity; the company’s ability to keep running during any disruptions.
However, downtime is not always random and can be planned. This means updates and maintenance can be done to help prevent unexpected malfunctions.
Planned downtime
Planned downtime is scheduled by the company in advance to complete any necessary updates or maintenance. It is usually scheduled when people are not working or when fewer people are relying on technology, so it doesn’t interrupt the business.
Unplanned downtime
Unplanned downtime occurs when systems fail suddenly, posing the greatest threat to business continuity and affecting 82% of companies in recent years. It can be triggered by hardware failures, software issues, cyberattacks, power outages and even human error. These unexpected outages can stop essential business operations, preventing employees from accessing the tools they need to complete work or disrupting services that customers or clients might rely on.
How to Counteract The Issues With Downtime
To protect business continuity from unexpected or unplanned outages and downtime, companies need to be prepared before a problem occurs so they can continue operating.
Here are some ways to prepare and protect your company from downtime issues:
Know which technologies matter
- Know what technology, systems and services are essential for your company, so you know what you need to focus your attention on.
Maintenance
- Make sure that all technology and equipment are up to date and maintained so there aren’t any unexpected failures.
Recovery planning
- Brainstorm recovery options based on the specific technologies, systems and services you have noted that are essential to your business continuity. Make sure your employees know who they need to contact and what the general protocol and plan you agreed on are.
Use monitoring
- You can install systems to monitor your devices and services and alert you to failures so they can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Backup system
- Have a backup system in place that you can rely on while you fix the issues with your primary tech.
Plan downtime
- You can plan downtime to ensure your services stay up to date and run smoothly. You may also want to schedule downtime to test whether your strategies and plans to counteract continuity issues are working. This would allow you to see what does and doesn’t work for your company so you can refine your plan to work for you and your team.
IT support and services will be the most efficient way to do this, as they can help you identify where you may need monitoring and backup systems, structure a plan and provide maintenance on technology and services to prevent system failures.
Make Sure Your Business Doesn’t Suffer From Downtime
Unexpected downtime, as the name suggests, is unexpected, so it is very difficult to know when or if it will happen to you. By understanding what causes downtime and implementing a system to address the issues it creates, you can maintain continuity, support staff and customers and ensure operations run smoothly.
