If you're looking for ways to bolster your bottom line and provide a top-notch customer experience, you need to be looking at your IT downtime. After all, IT downtime is not just inconvenient, it's also very, very expensive. Experts have calculated that the average cost of IT downtime for companies is around $5600 per minute, once you take into account lost sales, repair costs, and reputational damage.

Ways to Safeguard Against IT Downtime
5 Simple Ways to Safeguard Against IT Downtime Unsplash

IT downtime remains one of the most significant costs of doing business, which is why you should be dedicating the appropriate levels of resources to preventing it. Fortunately, safeguarding against IT downtime is relatively simple and affordable. Here are five simple ways to approach it.

1. Invest in Network Monitoring Software

Oftentimes, the most effective solutions for preventing downtime are software-based. Your ability to prevent downtime depends on your ability to detect network problems before they arise. That's why it is imperative to invest in a quality network monitor solution that will effectively conduct network mapping and troubleshooting without any input from you or your team. This is the simplest solution to the problem of IT downtime and will provide key metrics to ensure you can monitor the health of your network systems and prevent any potential issues from occurring.

2. Switch to Enterprise-Level Network Infrastructure

Far too many business owners of all stripes try to cut corners by running their company with low-grade, household-level infrastructure. This is pretty much a guarantee of recurring downtime problems. You need to shell out and pay for infrastructure-level hardware that can handle all of your company-wide IT needs. Remember, enterprise-level servers, internet connections, and the rest are all much more affordable than you might think.

3. Migrate to the Cloud

If you are not yet on the cloud, you are opting to leave your company in a vulnerable position. Granted, you might require physical server space for security or legacy reasons, but that is no excuse for not at least opting for a hybrid computing setup. Put simply, cloud infrastructure is significantly less likely to suffer from crippling downtime, as well as being generally much more secure than physical server setups. Move to the cloud today.

4. Proactive Maintenance is Key

One of the worst mistakes you can make with your business IT is to only approach maintenance when something is wrong. As any expert will tell you, proactive, preventative IT maintenance will make downtime significantly less likely. Adopt best practices by integrating regular systems maintenance and troubleshooting into your calendar. Even a once-monthly IT checkup can have a substantial impact.

5. Refine Your DR Plan

Finally, you need to be prepared for when the worst does occur. This is why every competitive company should include IT downtime in their overall disaster recovery plans. Make sure you and your team know what the right approach is in the event of any number of possible IT downtime scenarios, including data centre failures, human error, and malware attacks. If you have a credible recovery plan in place, the cost of IT downtime will be greatly reduced.

As you can see, IT downtime does not need to be an inevitable and expensive blow to your business. By taking a more proactive approach, you can safeguard against IT downtime and build a more durable business model.