The Impact Of Network Downtime In A Small Business

Many SMB owners think IT downtime only costs them a few productive hours, but there’s a lot more at stake when your systems go down. Avoid these headaches with a strong network setup, and ongoing network management services from a local IT support company.

Here's what's really at stake:

1. client trust and confidence in you
2. data loss that can cripple your business
3. revenue loss

Client Trust & Confidence

Even if the client themselves is not adhering to IT best practices, chances are good they will lose confidence in you if you experience network downtime or a breach.

The "it won't happen to me" logical fallacy is always at play. Protect your client trust and business by investing in good IT policies and network security. This includes:

• a secure network setup
• secure WiFi
• a strong password policy
• good user and data management practices to protect data and limit access to company documents
• a secure BYOD solution for any employee working remotely or on premise with their own device
• a firewall to inspect all network traffic
• a good back up solution
• regular back up testing
• professional email and filtering
• user support for any problems or threats that arise
• ongoing security patching and updating
• annual IT planning to decommission older, vulnerable systems, review dormant accounts, update policies and keep closing the inevitable security gaps that open

How much of the above list have you confidently implemented for your business?

Data Loss

We can all handle a few hours of lost productivity if a network switch fails or the internet goes out. It's not as easy to navigate data loss events.

Nearly half of small businesses that experience a serious data loss event shutter their doors forever.

Fortunately, many small business owners today are becoming more tech savvy, and they hire professional IT help. Your business needs a robust backup and disaster recovery solution. You or your IT Consultant can set that up for you.

Back up is not a set it and forget it system though. It can stop working for any number of reasons; a credit card change, a capacity issue, a software error. That's why it's important to test your back up recovery every month. Be sure you can restore your data, should you find yourself with a dead hard drive or ransomware attack.

Revenue Loss

Let's face it - if your network is down, your business is crippled. Can you serve your clients without your systems?

Perhaps you can. But ask yourself what kind of experience will the client have when being served during your IT crisis? Could it lead to lost faith, lost future business, or a negative review?

Losing money during a network issue is bad enough. Having to pay for surprise IT hardware and emergency IT support services makes the experience that much more painful.

You can protect your business with monthly network management services. Not only will your systems be updated before you start your plan with your provider, but they will be patched and maintained regularly, and reviewed in depth annually.

With emergencies averted, and professional IT support when you need it, your business can run smoothly.

The bottom line is this— you are one bad click, flood or power spike away from being saved by a good network setup, or being taken out by a poor one.

It’s probably time to think about how you can mitigate your risk of downtime, and whether it's time to hire a managed IT services provider to support your business.

TUCU is a Managed IT Services Provider for SMB's in Toronto. We have been trusted to take care of the technical side of things for many local businesses since 2003. Contact us now to schedule a free consultation to discover how we can help you.