When disaster strikes, a business may be temporarily unable to continue operating. This period of non-operation is known as downtime. There are many incidents that can cause downtime, some of which are hard to predict (such as the recent pandemic). One common cause of downtime is tech failures. These can come in all different forms – below are just some of the main forms of tech failure that can lead to downtime.
Cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are a common cause of downtime. A ransomware attack is often the most serious type of cyberattack – a business may be locked out of a system until they pay a ransom. There are cyberattack recovery specialists that can help you in the event of such an incident. Backing up data on the cloud, updating software regularly and training employees to detect digital threats could meanwhile prevent a cyberattack from causing damage or even from happening at all.
Software corruption
When software becomes corrupted, it becomes unusable, potentially restricting access to important information. An expert may be able to still extract information, but it’s never a guarantee. There are lots of different causes of software corruption which are detailed here https://www.bestcomputersciencedegrees.com/lists/5-factors-that-can-trigger-data-corruption/. Older software is more likely to get corrupted. Make sure that you’re regularly rebooting your computers and maintaining hardware to reduce the risk of crashes, which is a major cause of corruption.Â
Machinery failure
Your business could be reliant on a single machine to function during a certain period. If this machine breaks, it could result in downtime. This could include a coffee machine breaking in a coffee shop or an agricultural machine breaking during harvest. Quick repairs may be necessary to get your business up and running again. Sourcing your own parts at sites like https://gpi.net/product-category/pumps/chemical-pumps/ could help you to save money on repairs. Of course, the best way to reduce the cost of repairs is to prevent them from being needed at all. Keeping your machinery well maintained and regularly servicing it can prevent faults from occurring as frequently.Â
Power outages
Almost all businesses are reliant on electricity. A power cut could stop you from temporarily carrying out any work. Most power outages are out of our control – it could be a snapped cable or power station fault. Fortunately, you can restore power by investing in a backup generator. If this is too expensive, an alternative solution could be an uninterruptible power supply – this could give you power for a few minutes after so that you can safely shut down machinery (useful for preventing software corruption and hardware damage).
Network connection loss
Loss of internet connection could also result in downtime. This may only be for a couple minutes, but it could still affect business – especially if it happens regularly. Investing in a strong internet connection can help to reduce this problem. Make sure that your internet connection has enough range to reach all parts of the building.