Network downtime refers to the inaccessibility of a network due to the failure of a particular system, application, or the entire network of a company. Downtime could occur due to maintenance activities, power cuts, or unexpected technical failures. The impact of such interruption may vary for every organization, depending upon its size, customer base, and service capabilities.
Network outages can immensely disrupt a company’s routine operations. Besides revenue and productivity loss, your company's critical information can be lost during unplanned downtime, further delaying your recovery process. Frequent server outages or service interruptions decrease trust in your brand, leading to bad publicity and a higher customer churn rate.
There are some ways to help minimize network downtime, including:
Outlined below are some common key causes of network failure:
Lost revenue: A downtime incident often slows down the customer-facing applications and systems of a company, resulting in a significant revenue loss. For example, a website crash or unresponsiveness due to server failure can cause thousands of dollars of loss per hour to an e-commerce company.
Declined productivity: Network outages often restrict employees from performing their daily tasks or duties. However, it still requires companies to pay them as per contracts. Every non-working hour for employees can stretch project deadlines further with monetary and productivity losses.
Recovery costs: Recovery from network outages can be a costly affair. It includes various expenses, such as employee overtime charges, equipment repair and maintenance fees, and data recovery costs, organizations often bear to reinitiate their operations.
Intangible Costs: These indirect costs of a network failure can badly damage a company's reputation. Network failures often result in client dissatisfaction, declining stock prices, poor public relations, and a higher customer churn rate for a company.
Planned downtime is a specific period during which IT staff performs network repair or maintenance activities, such as device configuration updates and system diagnostics. These activities are typically scheduled outside regular business hours to avoid sales and productivity losses.
Unplanned downtime, in contrast, is an unexpected breakdown of a network. It can emerge from various reasons such as poor equipment maintenance, human errors, and power loss. Unlike planned downtime, determining the exact amount of time and resources required to recover from unplanned outages is often challenging for network teams.
Invest in high-quality network equipment: High-quality equipment can improve your network resiliency in extreme conditions. Simultaneously, network teams should regularly review critical device details such as end-of-life information in network inventory to detect and replace older equipment. Prolonged use of such equipment can slow down network operations.
Update firmware regularly: Outdated devices are more vulnerable, so IT teams must regularly install updates and patches to devices and applications for improved network stability and security.
Employ network monitoring tools: Network monitoring software can help minimize outages with proactive monitoring and early detection of network issues. Monitoring tools allow network admins to track the real-time status of network devices and receive alerts of unusual activities, such as high CPU utilization and automatic server reboots. Real-time network analysis helps admins rectify the potential issues that can cause trouble at a later stage.
Frequent server backups: Backing up servers helps ensure quick restoration of network operations after a failure. Regularly test backup servers, both physical and virtual, to ensure they’re working as intended. Having both on-site and cloud backups is also crucial for maximum safety during a server failure.
Investigate your facility: Regular facility tests are critical to ensure smooth server room and data center operations. IT teams must detect and troubleshoot threats such as damaged cables, high equipment temperatures, and airflow blockages; these can heavily damage network infrastructure, resulting in unplanned downtime.
Multi-vendor network monitoring that scales and expands with the needs of your network.
Real-time network utilization monitoring tool, NetFlow analyzer, and bandwidth monitoring software.