Your least favourite message to receive at any time of the day is “Server is down.” However, no matter which high-quality server you might be using for your business, you may have experienced downtime at one point or another, and it may have been severe. Server downtime interferes with all activities, from employee productivity to sales, and you wouldn’t want it for your company. When faced with downtime, you will lose a significant amount of resources unless it is planned.
Downtime is unpredictable and can be caused by a variety of factors such as network issues, human errors, cyber attacks, and so on. The only way to keep your company from experiencing downtime is to understand what causes downtime and devise a solid plan to resolve it. In this blog, we will discuss the various potential causes of downtime, their impact on your business, and how to prevent them. Let’s get started.
Human error
Let’s start this off with us. We are allowed to make errors and take lessons from them. But occasionally, a mistake can be expensive, like giving the business downtime. It could be due to negligence or an accident, but we can’t deny that human error is a major cause of downtime. Downtime can be caused by errors such as the deletion of important data, poor system installation, and poor server management.
Major corporations experience downtime as a result of employees who lack adequate training and guidance in the field. Human error is unpredictable in some cases, but by understanding situations where your employees can be trained and assisted, you can avoid the error, preventing downtime. While you’re focusing on employee productivity, make sure they’re getting the training they need to avoid mistakes that slow them down.
Cybersecurity Attacks
Businesses experience significant downtime as a result of malicious attacks that damage the server and disrupt the entire workflow. In this competitive age, every company is doing everything possible to stay ahead of the competition, but a threat like cyber attacks puts the company in a bad position.
Downtime caused by cyber-attacks may also have an impact on your brand’s image. To avoid this, make sure your cybersecurity team is always active and that no malicious software is infiltrating your systems.
A single link or click can compromise the entire security system, and it is critical that your employees are aware of this. You can educate your employees on how to avoid falling victim to phishing and malicious games. You can keep cyber attacks at bay and avoid downtime by educating your employees about cybersecurity and ensuring your systems are fully secure.
Network Outages
The network is critical to keeping your business running smoothly, and when it goes down, you know it’s not going to be a good day. Network outages cause significant damage to your company and even downtime because it takes longer to restore it.
Downtime due to network issues can be inconvenient, but with proper backup, you can keep the situation from worsening. Prepare a backup network to rely on in addition to your current network solution. Don’t let minor network problems give you a headache.
To avoid downtime due to network outages, ensure that your network equipment is well-maintained and that your employees are well-trained in troubleshooting network issues.
Hardware/Software Issues
Hardware failures and software glitches can also contribute to your company’s server downtime. Hardware failures occur as a result of excessive wear and tear and critical damage. It is crucial to keep your hardware in good working order and to avoid breakdowns.
Software, on the other hand, can have a negative impact on servers if it is not properly audited and updated. To face modern IT challenges, modern systems and solutions are required, and keeping outdated systems and software is never a wise idea for your company. Outdated systems and servers also cause you to miss important business opportunities.
If your systems require frequent repairs and your software occasionally freezes or glitches, you should think about upgrading your systems and software. You ensure efficiency and avoid downtime by upgrading.
Third-party/Cloud Vendor Outages
You and your servers may not always be entirely to blame for downtime. It may occur if your third-party service providers or cloud server vendors experience outages. Since they are in charge of managing your cloud-based servers, any outage on their end will also affect you, which can be a challenging situation to manage.
When you rely on cloud-hosted or hybrid cloud server setups, you should ensure that your operations run smoothly and that your data is secure.
Natural Catastrophes
This is a rare but critical cause of downtime. If you live in an area prone to natural disasters, your business is at a high risk of downtime. Natural disasters can cause power outages, network outages, and even extensive damage to your servers and systems. This has a significant impact on your company, and the loss may be inaccessible.
Pro Tip:
To avoid downtime, you should rely on reputable server providers in addition to upgrading your equipment, training your employees, and having a backup solution. However, purchasing them can be difficult, so we recommend renting excellent servers for your business needs.
Rank Computers rents out a wide range of laptops, servers, workstations, and storage devices. We provided IT equipment to a number of large businesses. Send us an email or give us a call to discuss your server requirements. We’ll get right back to you.
Conclusion
Server outages are unpredictable and inconvenient. Even though that is still a hard fact, you can minimise downtime with a backup plan and trained employees. Unplanned downtime may appear to be a doomsday scenario, but with the right solutions, you can avoid extensive damage and save your brand’s image.
