How IT Managed Services Can Help You Avoid Costly Downtime

Businesses need to rely heavily on result-oriented cloud solutions to operate, communicate with customers and suppliers, and manage their day-to-day operations efficiently. They have to be present/online all the time as uptime and availability of critical resources play a crucial factor in deciding the future of an organization. So, when technology fails, it brings with it consequences far worse than financial loss. Downtime is one such nightmare that not only is disruptive, costly and unacceptable in today’s competitive business landscape. According to Carbonite, if the IT system of a small or medium-sized business (SMB) goes down for just 1 hour, that could cost about$25,620, or$427.00 per minute.?

So, what is the downtime? How it impacts your business credibility and bottom line and how it can be effectively controlled and even prevented by managed IT services providers. This blog will explore this and more, read on to know more!?

What does IT downtime mean: Definition and Impact?

Downtime is the period during which a business's IT systems are offline or unavailable due to application unavailability, technical glitches, network outage or natural disaster. When that happens, a computer system, server or network is offline or unavailable, and employees are involuntarily unproductive—unable to conduct business or offer services to clients.??

If you do not have a comprehensive business continuity plan or disaster recovery plan, downtime can have a significant impact on a company's bottom line, credibility and brand value.?

The Cost of Downtime?

The cost of downtime can vary widely depending on the size and nature of a business. However, studies have shown that the average cost of downtime for a small business can range from $5,000 to $8,000 per hour, while a large enterprise can lose millions of dollars for every hour of downtime.?

The direct costs of downtime include lost revenue, wages paid to employees who cannot work, and expenses incurred for emergency repairs or equipment replacement. Indirect costs can include damage to a business's reputation, loss of customer trust, and reduced employee morale.?

If you are wondering what causes downtime, then it can happen due to several reasons such as hardware and software misconfigurations, equipment failure, human error, power outages, adverse environmental conditions, cyberattacks, and other prevalent causes of downtime. Your data is crucial to your overall business success. It can be impossible to do any business without access to data when you need it.??

So, if you have a dedicated team of IT support to protect and manage that data during an attack, downtime becomes a just myth. But how can a managed services provider do that? Next, we are going to explain that!??

How Does Managed Service Providers Reduce Downtime??

It's important for businesses to identify potential causes of downtime and develop strategies to mitigate their impact. It may seem like a daunting task, but that’s where cloud-managed services provider comes in. Managed Service Providers can help save on downtime by offering a range of services that not only keeps your information safe but also mitigate the impact of downtime, let’s know how:?

1. Proactive IT Monitoring?

With the help of an assortment of various security tools and software to constantly monitor the performance of the IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, and applications. This allows them to identify potential issues before they turn into major problems that could cause downtime.??

2. Regular IT Infra Maintenance ?

By conducting continuous maintenance tasks, such as applying software updates, security patches, and firmware upgrades. They also conduct hardware inspections and upgrades to ensure that the IT infrastructure is running at peak performance. Regular maintenance helps to prevent hardware and software failures that could cause downtime.?

3. Disaster Recovery Planning?

They create comprehensive disaster recovery plans that cover a wide range of scenarios, from minor outages to major disasters. The plan typically includes data backups, redundant systems, and a plan for failover to a secondary site or cloud-based infrastructure. MSPs conduct regular tests of the disaster recovery plan to ensure that it will work effectively in the event of an actual disaster.?

?4. Rapid Disaster Response?

IT-managed services companies have a dedicated support team that is available 24/7 to quickly respond to any issues that arise. They use various communication channels to provide real-time updates on the status of the issue and the progress of the resolution. Rapid response helps to minimize downtime by quickly resolving issues before they escalate.?

?5. Performance Optimization?

They continuously analyze the performance of the IT infrastructure and identify ways to optimize it. This includes fine-tuning settings, upgrading hardware, and implementing performance-enhancing technologies such as load balancing, caching, and content delivery networks (CDNs). By optimizing performance, MSPs can reduce the risk of downtime caused by system overloads or other performance-related issues.?

6. Robust Security Measures?

Managed IT services providers implement a comprehensive set of security measures to protect the IT infrastructure from cyberattacks, data breaches, and other security threats. With top-notch security strategies and tools like implementing firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), antivirus and anti-malware software, and data encryption, MSPs identify and address potential vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure.?

?7. IT Training and Education?

When you have an IT-empowered workforce, chances are the risk of downtime due to human error or security incidents lessen to a degree. MSPs also provide training and education to employees on how to use the IT infrastructure effectively and securely. It can range from best practices for using passwords, and avoiding phishing scams, to securely accessing the company's network.??

?4 Steps to Select A Managed IT Services Provider?

Selecting a cloud managed services provider (MSP) is an important decision that requires careful consideration. Here are 4steps to help you select the right cloud managed services provider:?

1. Determine Your Needs: Before selecting a cloud MSP, you need to determine your specific needs. Consider your organization's size, IT infrastructure, and business goals. Determine what services you require, such as cloud migration, security, disaster recovery, or ongoing management and support. Identifying your needs will help you narrow down your search and find the right MSP that offers the services you require.?
2. Assess MSP Capabilities: Once you have identified your needs, research MSPs that offer the services you require. Look for MSPs that have experience in managing cloud environments similar to yours. Assess their capabilities, including their expertise, service levels, and experience with the specific cloud platforms you use. Review customer testimonials, case studies, and industry certifications to assess the MSP's credibility and reputation.?
3. Evaluate Security and Compliance: Security and compliance are critical considerations for any cloud MSP. Ensure that the MSP has robust security measures in place to protect your data and infrastructure from cyber threats. Look for MSPs that have industry-standard security certifications, such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and that comply with relevant regulations, such as HIPAA or GDPR.?
4. Consider Cost and Support: Finally, consider the cost and support options of potential MSPs. Look for MSPs that offer flexible pricing models, such as pay-as-you-go or fixed fees. Evaluate the MSP's support options, including 24/7 availability, access to dedicated support teams, and incident management processes. Consider how the MSP manages and communicates with you, including reporting and communication channels.?

Wrapping Up?

Downtime can have a significant impact on a business's bottom line. However, by partnering with a cloud managed services provider, businesses can reduce the risk of downtime and mitigate its impact. Overall, MSPs work closely with organizations to proactively manage their IT infrastructure and minimize the risk of downtime and help organizations operate efficiently and with minimal disruption to their operations.?

In this blog, we discuss the adverse impact of downtime and how a cloud managed services provider can help in mitigating the risks as well as prevent such disasters. Additionally, we also shared a few steps that can help you choose the right MSP for your business. So, go for a professional managed cloud services provider who not only knows how to mitigate downtime risks but also understands your business objectives, strengths and weaknesses and how to utilize them to secure your security posture and maintain business continuity.?