Did you know that, on average, businesses lose between £65,000 and £83,000 per hour of IT system downtime? That’s across all industries, too. So it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Wirral-based factory or an accountancy firm; your business is at risk if your IT systems are down.
While you might not be on the hook for as much as that average figure, you still need to be aware of the significant financial penalties and risks associated with outages. Without adequate IT support, your business could be in for a severe financial hit.
So let’s look at some of the most common reasons why businesses experience IT system outages and how having IT support in place can help mitigate these risks.
Most Common Reasons for IT Systems Downtime for Wirral Businesses
There are a myriad of potential reasons why a business might experience IT system downtime. However, here are the most common we’ve found through our work with Wirral businesses over our years of operation:
Hardware Failures
Faulty hardware, such as servers, switches, routers, or storage devices, can cause system downtime. Hardware failure can lead to data loss, system crashes, and other issues that can take time to fix.
Cybersecurity Incidents
Cyber attacks such as malware infections, ransomware, or DDoS attacks can cause systems to crash or become unavailable. In some cases, businesses may need to take their systems offline to contain the threat and prevent further damage.
Power Outages
Power cuts or electrical surges can often cause IT systems to shut down unexpectedly, leading to data loss, system crashes, and other issues.
Human Error
Mistakes made by employees, such as accidental deletion of data, misconfiguration of systems, or failure to follow proper procedures, can cause system downtime. Businesses that haven’t trained their employees on best practices for IT systems management and security elevate the risk of human error.
How IT Support Can Mitigate Risks and Minimise Downtime
IT support can be critical in mitigating risks and minimising downtime for businesses. Here are three ways IT support can help.
Regular Maintenance and Monitoring
One of the most effective ways to prevent downtime is through regular maintenance and monitoring of IT systems. IT support professionals can perform routine checks to identify potential issues before they become major problems. This includes tasks such as software updates, hardware maintenance, and security checks.
By taking a proactive and preventative approach, your IT support team can help businesses avoid downtime caused by preventable issues.
Rapid Response to Issues
When IT issues do arise, the speed at which they are addressed can make a big difference in minimising downtime. IT support teams can respond quickly to resolve issues and get systems back online as soon as possible. This may involve troubleshooting, repairing or replacing hardware, or restoring data from backups.
By addressing issues promptly, your IT support technicians can limit the impact of downtime on the business.
Disaster Recovery Planning
While it is impossible to prevent all IT downtime, businesses can negate the impact by having a disaster recovery plan. Any good IT support company can help develop and implement a comprehensive plan to recover from various types of disruptions, such as power outages, cyber-attacks, or natural disasters. They should include strategies for backup and recovery, redundant systems, and alternative communication methods.
With a robust plan in place, businesses can restrict downtime and resume operations as quickly as possible after a disruption.
Save Thousands of Pounds in Downtime Costs for Your Wirral Organisation
While IT support can often seem like a supplementary expense, compared to the cost of downtime caused by an IT system failure, it can deliver enormous savings. Having a team you can trust on standby day and night can make the difference between a few hundred or several thousand pounds spent on lost productivity and wasted time.
In short, excellent IT support pays for itself in the long run by reducing the cost of downtime, improving business efficiency, and reducing the risk of data breaches. And if you do happen to face disaster, the savings can be even more significant.
At Corp Networking, we offer clients across the Wirral region flexible and tailored IT support packages at competitive prices, ensuring your business runs as smoothly as possible.
So if you want to avoid costly and time-consuming IT failures, contact us today for a free consultation.