A proactive managed services provider can help you assess your threat landscape and create tailored plans for operational resilience against potentially disruptive events.
What’s the Cost of I.T. Downtime to Your Business? Imagine a sudden server crash or cyberattack that brings your business to a halt. Too often, organizations are either on the brink of a crisis, in the middle of one, or doing recovery. Yet even as black swan events continue to disrupt operations, only about 33% of companies have updated I.T. business continuity plans. But why does that matter, and why should I.T. be at the heart of your overall business continuity strategy?
I.T. business continuity is about evaluating your unique technology landscape and crafting comprehensive plans to protect critical business functions against threats. It matters for data protection, client satisfaction, profits, reputation, and long-term competitiveness.
That said, developing plans that cover every base can seem daunting, given today’s increasingly distributed and integrated systems. But it doesn’t have to be. A proactive managed services provider can help you build operational resilience against all potential scenarios that can harm your business.
This article covers all you need to know about ensuring business continuity with the help of a reliable I.T. partner. Let’s jump right in!
Understanding I.T. Business Continuity in Today’s Digital Landscape
Before delving into specific ways proactive I.T. management gives you an edge in today’s evolving threat landscape, it’s essential to grasp what business continuity entails. Modern I.T. business continuity strategy focuses on three key components:
- Data Integrity: Ensuring data stays accurate, consistent, and reliable throughout its lifecycle.
- Uptime: Keeping I.T. systems and services available at all times.
- Rapid recovery: Restoring business functions quickly when things go sideways.
Every business must analyze its performance in these areas to identify and fill gaps and avoid extended periods of downtime.
Downtime costs small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) between $137 to $427 per minute. Pause for a moment and do some math. If disaster strikes and forces you to shut down for just one week, you’ll be staring at $1,380,960 in losses on the lower end. And that’s just the effect on week one. Lengthy downtime can lead to severe consequences, including potential insolvency and reputational loss. Can your business afford that kind of hit?
Updated I.T. business continuity plans are vital as common threats causing downtime, such as extreme weather and cyberattacks, worsen. According to CheckPoint Research, the second quarter of 2024 saw a 30% increase in security incidents year-over-year, with nefarious actors deploying more sophisticated tactics to breach companies with poor threat detection capabilities. System failures—often resulting from accumulating legacy systems—can also be a bane in your business’s existence if you’re not proactive.
Okay, we’ve emphasized proactiveness quite a bit. So, how does it differ from traditional I.T. management?
The Difference Between Proactive and Reactive I.T. Management
The traditional approach to I.T. management is reactive, meaning businesses wait for issues to arise before fixing them. For example, a company may ignore early signs of failure in its servers or systems if they still help perform core functions. The problem with this approach is that the company may lose critical data and face severe disruptions when the technology finally crashes.
As you can appreciate, it’s not fun to constantly react after the fact and play catchup as minor issues quickly snowball into major crises. That’s why this legacy playbook needs a rewrite. Why settle for a “fix-it-when-it’s-broken” approach?
Proactive I.T. management ensures a robust infrastructure 24/7. It’s about anticipating, identifying, and mitigating potential problems before they impact operations. For example, in the above scenario, a proactive approach would involve acting on early signs of failure through maintenance or a refresh of the I.T. infrastructure to keep the business running without a hitch.
Key Benefits of Partnering with a Proactive I.T. Provider
Managing I.T. business continuity with the help of a proactive managed services provider offers significant benefits to entrepreneurs and SMB owners:
- 24/7 System Monitoring: The I.T. provider monitors your systems around the clock to catch and resolve issues before they turn problematic.
- Strategic Planning: A proactive MSP helps you plan for the future, so your tech aligns with your ambitions. Put differently, they ensure your I.T. strategy grows with your business.
- Rapid Response: When issues arise, a proactive I.T. partner rolls their sleeves and gets to work immediately. They use their tools and expertise to resolve problems quickly, minimizing disruption to your business.
- Cost Savings: By preventing significant issues, you avoid the hefty price tag of emergency and incremental fixes.
That said, not all I.T. providers are created equal. Selecting the right partner ensures these benefits become a seamless part of your operations, reinforcing continuity and resilience.
Partner with Attentus for a Secure Business Future
With over 20 years of experience, Attentus provides I.T. business continuity strategies designed to keep your systems safe, efficient, and resilient. We know that no two businesses are the same, which is why our approach is tailored to your unique goals and risk factors. Our dedicated team collaborates with you to map your entire I.T. environment, assess vulnerabilities, and create a contingency plan that aligns with your long-term vision.
Using advanced tools and methodologies, we monitor your systems 24/7, store critical backups off-site, and implement robust security measures to keep your business protected, no matter what comes your way. At Attentus, two of our most cherished core values are delivering exceptional results and being easy to work with. We simplify I.T. for you so that you can focus on the business side of things.
When you partner with Attentus, you gain a proactive I.T. team dedicated to minimizing disruptions and maximizing uptime, so you can focus on what matters most: growing your business.
If that sounds like what you’re looking for, let’s talk about leveling up your I.T. business continuity strategy. Schedule a custom consultation now and take the first step toward operational peace of mind.
