5 Key Strategies to Minimize Downtime
An hour of downtime costs the average business around $100,000. Downtime has the power to bring a business to its knees financially and destroy its reputation.
With that in mind, here are 5 simple strategies your business can use to minimize downtime and maximize stability in both your finances and reputation.
Develop and Maintain a Business Continuity Plan
The fact that we chose to lead with this item should really tell you something. A professional business continuity plan is crucial. It provides all the details — both technical and human — required to get you back to work after a data loss or other downtime incident.
The moments after downtime and data loss occur can make or break your business. By preparing, practicing and updating a business continuity plan, you can ensure that your response minimizes downtime and is highly implementable.
You’ll know how to respond to a data disaster, who’s responsible for which recovery tasks and how long your business can go without its key data.
Related: 5 Foreboding Reasons You Need a Disaster Recovery Plan
Focus on Network Security and Oversight
Is your network’s security up to par? For example, is someone on your staff overseeing your network? The sooner you catch data breaches or other attacks, the better chance you stand of stopping or minimizing their harm.
Poor oversight or lackluster security can turn an otherwise minimal or inferior threat into a massive downtime incident. It can cost your business considerably more money and time than necessary.
Related: How to Get an A+ in Network Security for Your School
Perform Regular System Audits
Whether your own IT department does these or an outsourced IT company handles the work for you, regular system audits are critical to minimizing downtime. An audit can reveal vulnerabilities, identify potential critical systems failures, and ensure maximum productivity and connectivity.
If you don’t have your own IT department, don’t overlook this tip. Engaging with a qualified MSP to handle regular system audits will likely save you money in the long run.
It could also avoid potentially disastrous consequences to your company’s reputation related to downtime or data loss.
Consider the Cloud
Moving your IT strategy away from in-house servers and into cloud services is another great way to minimize potential downtime. With the cloud, not only do you benefit from the constant security and maintenance the cloud service provider brings to the table, but you also benefit from the military-grade security their servers employ.
This is because data centers are buttressed against anything from natural disaster to cybersecurity threats in a way that prevents most downtime or data loss incidents. The cloud also provides reassurance that all your data is safely backed up with multiple redundancies.
Outsource What You Can’t Handle
We get it. Maybe you’re a small company and you don’t have your own dedicated, experienced IT department. You’re not alone. That’s where a managed services provider is worth their weight in gold. They’re equipped with the tools, strategies and experience required to shore up vulnerabilities from multiple angles and threats.
IT is absolutely a pillar of the modern business’ success or failure. It doesn’t make sense to take a non-professional approach to your technological needs.
Independent of downtime and data loss, there are a massive number of IT solutions that can maximize your productivity and streamline your growth. Take the time to investigate all of them. Your bottom line will thank you.
