How to Prevent Common IT Disasters
British Airways once lost £82 million to an IT failure. Whatever the cause, for example a data breach or outage, downtime has a negative impact on businesses. In some cases, IT disasters are simply a clear blow to your company’s productivity and output. However, in more severe situations, you could lose your data, your customers, and your credibility as well as suffer massive financial losses.
So, as a small-to-medium sized business, you can also be seriously affected by system failures and data breaches. Some studies even suggest that SMEs are the most disproportionately affected by IT failures. This is due to the cost of such failures, with just small issues worth several thousand pounds in damages.
However, there are some steps you can take to predict and prevent IT failures and save your company from such a fate:
Consider a warranty before you make an IT purchase
This is often a necessary investment, especially when your business is relying on a lot of new equipment for its daily operations. If you suddenly need to make a repair or update your solutions, a warranty will ensure downtime is limited. This should ensure your business does not suffer an IT disaster as a result of unprotected equipment.
And even still, in the case of an IT disaster, a warranty can legitimise the value of your equipment and help maintain composure during recovery.
Furthermore, note that the equipment that you invest in is in good condition. If you need expert advice, a reliable IT support London company like totality services can suggest robust hardware, software and cloud services.
Connect with an IT service provider
Outsourcing from a reputable IT service provider is a key to ensuring you get appropriate support when required. An experienced IT service company will be there to make sure you’re getting regular IT installation, audits, and maintenance. This way you’ll be much less likely to face an IT failure, and any issues that do arise can be resolved accordingly.
Explore using cloud and Saas apps for better security
Although it is useful to have some on-premises storage equipment, you should also consider using cloud and software as a service apps (SaaS) to store and safeguard data. Firstly, traditional storage facilities are often flawed, bulky and inadequate for the influx of hybrid and remote working. Old and outdated software can also be left behind by developers and more unsecure to use.
In the event of an IT issue or failure, cloud and Saas solutions are typically more reliable and secure. Cloud providers and Saas developers are equipped with more robust security technologies and work around the clock to ensure your data is safe.
Don’t forget mobile and personal device security to prevent IT disaster
Ensure that you pay the same attention to mobile devices as you do to personal computers. In today’s age, data transfer and operations via mobile devices is very common, especially in the workplace. For example, if you use Microsoft business packages, your employees can access and transfer data from their Outlook and Office apps through their mobiles. This leaves more devices exposed to hackers and subsequently data leaks if left unsecured and unencrypted.
Therefore, if your employees use personal devices to access business data, you must put separate security strategies in place. Similarly, if you don’t want personal devices used for business activity, make this clear in employee contracts, training and implement security policies if necessary. Unfortunately, if these measures aren’t taken, you could experience an IT disaster or security breach through a mobile device.
Physical security measures to prevent IT failure
It may be useful to consider physical security measures and backup to avoid physically created IT failures. Invest in surge protectors, uninterrupted power suppliers and physical security systems to keep your facilities safe and running.
Maintain regular employee training to prevent internal IT disaster
It is important that you provide your employees with the necessary training to make proper use of your IT facilities. Much of the time, new and inexperienced employees are responsible for creating costly IT failures. This can be avoided by hosting simple and training sessions regularly. Not only will training mitigate IT issues, but it will ensure employees are working optimally with new and updated tech and boost their IT skills.
Schedule regular audit and maintenance sessions
Undertaking audits and regular maintenance of all IT infrastructure are key to predicting and identifying tech failures. In fact, every piece of equipment that you buy has a definite lifespan. However, that lifespan can be shortened by many unpredictable factors.
To ensure that your productivity isn’t impacted, you should make sure that your equipment is in optimum performing condition at all times.
Establish a routine for safety checks and regular upgrades
Over time, your systems will inevitably become slow and less efficient due to accumulating files and ever-advancing software. So, make sure there is a section in your IT policy which includes regular upgrade requirements and specifies a strict routine for safety checks. There’s no point having hardware and software which are simply ticking time bombs for an IT disaster.
Therefore, it’s necessary for the IT manager to keep these factors in mind when maintaining IT standards.
Email and internet policy to prevent IT disaster
Ensure that you have an email and internet policy in place that prevents security breaches and virus attacks. Emails and the internet are popular avenues for hackers and other malicious actors to target businesses, and particularly their employees.
Employees are notoriously guilty when it comes to using their official property for personal work. It’s also not uncommon for employees to access dangerous websites that are cesspools for viruses. Phishing, suspicious sites and business impersonations are also often overlooked and can lead to catastrophic breaches and IT disasters.
So, with that in mind, prepare policies for appropriate workplace email and internet activity and detail exactly what they can and can’t be used for. This can be common sense, but it’s better to be prepared than suffering an internally caused IT disaster.
Have an IT manager or IT specialist in place for your business
Assign an individual to manage IT facilities so that you never have to face an IT failure. Ensure that this individual is familiar with all your IT equipment and knows how to act in times of a crisis. They may also oversee the drafting of IT policies and ensure these standards are being upheld in your business.
If you don’t have such an individual, you could approach an IT support London company to hire one or provide an appropriate specialist.
Stay up to date with latest trends in IT
Alongside being vigilant of hacking trends and malicious tactics, it’s also important to stay ahead of developments in the legal, data protection and management etiquette. For instance, consider the importance of GDPR legislation. If your data management methods don’t comply with GDPR, you may face serious consequences from clients.
Most businesses depend heavily on their IT facilities for business. The malfunction of IT facilities can of course result in serious business loss. If you are responsible for IT at your company, you can truly benefit from foreseeing potential threats so you can prevent IT disaster.