The internet has been transformative for most industries, and the demand to be connected 24/7 to the internet has grown exponentially- especially over the past decade. Everyone needs reliable internet connections, from industrial production lines to enterprises using cloud-based applications. According to Gartner, unplanned downtime costs about $5600.00 per minute.
Unplanned outages and network downtime can cause serious and costly disruptions in operations, profits, and your company’s reputation. Even if the outages or disruptions are short, they can cause serious problems.
Think about hospitals with medical or diagnostic devices that communicate via the internet or financial institutions and trading platforms. Even a second can cause significant difficulties. Retail companies with POS systems that go down can lose thousands of dollars in sales and revenue, which results in dissatisfied customers. The time it takes to rebuild your image, customer satisfaction, and more can devastate your business.
In addition to actual losses in revenue, network failures also impact your employees’ ability to perform their jobs. This causes a loss in profit during the hours your network is down and the costs of paying your employees when they cannot work or be productive.
There are certain steps you should take to protect your network from downtime. The three primary reasons for downtime outages are human error, equipment failures, and a lack of appropriate cybersecurity.
Human error is the most common culprit for causing technical problems that can cause downtime or system failures. Typical issues include:
- The failure to regularly update software applications and server hardware.
- Improper software installations.
- Accidentally unplugging or detaching power plugs for key network devices such as routers and desktop computers.
Equipment failures are often due to low-quality technology or improper care and maintenance. Server hardware can shut down if it gets overheated, so it is crucial to make sure you have constant air conditioning to properly cool your equipment to keep it from shutting down.
Finally, you need to ensure you have the latest and best cybersecurity available to protect against phishing, viruses, malware, ransomware, and all other major security threats that businesses face every day.
Proper training can go a long way in helping to eliminate human error. Take extra care when you select, handle and replace your hardware and software. Always purchase quality equipment and keep it well-maintained to avoid unnecessary downtime. When it comes to cybersecurity, invest in training your staff against cyber threats and purchase security solutions that fit your business needs best.
Even with proper training, quality equipment, and cybersecurity, downtime can still happen. When it does, having a wireless failover can go a long way to mitigate the risks of unplanned downtime and help support planned downtime, a normal part of any IT strategy. Wireless backup solutions offer businesses a reliable fallback option. Any failure of your primary fiber-fed circuit will be recognized, and services are automatically switched to the backup wireless circuit.
Businesses can no longer afford to be in the dark when it comes to network outages. That’s why Fatbeam offers a wireless backup solution that provides automatic failover should your primary fiber-fed circuit experience an interruption of any kind. With this solution, your business will be protected from the damaging effects of complete network outages.
