Minimize Downtime | Be Proactive in Prevention

Today, with as much digital information being passed through both the cloud and devices, the threat of tech failure is at an all time high. Coupled with the threat of tech failure comes the threat of the downtime that follows, while things are being patched. You can have a concrete disaster recovery plan in place, and still end up with a huge headache because of downtime.

When something happens, like a server going down, vital information, data, communications are at risk of being lost. This can leave the organization, from top to bottom, with holes in the information they need to fulfill their capacity to work. No IT Team can promise zero downtime, or 100% availability, but it is our job to be there in case anything happens, and help your organization be proactive.

Here are a few ways you can be proactive in preventing downtime.

Explore your SLA’s

Any quality IT product will have an agreed level of availability. A service level agreement is a contract between a service provider and the end user that defines the level of service expected. Check all your current key vendors and partners that your organization is using. If levels of availability aren’t lining up with your business needs, it’s time to start exploring your options.

Active-Active Clustering

By using active-active clusters, you can help balance server workloads across different networks. This minimizes overloads, which can reduce the risk of downtime. Some organizations also use active-passive clusters, but these rely on servers that only come online when a primary system fails, are less secure, and involve more expensive hardware.

Rely on One Managed File Transfer Solution

If you’re using multiple file servers, you could be at risk of downtime, glitches, and security breaches. To help reduce risk of downtime posed by data breaches, using managed file transfer can allow flexibility between clients, partners, and staff. If you use multiple vendors for various similar services, it becomes more difficult to spot vulnerabilities or assist with support.

Using the same vendor can ensure processes are compatible, not competing, and help reduce downtime. Any vulnerabilities will be spotted more easily when working with one particular vendor. Downtime can’t be completely eradicated, it will always be a threat to business continuity, but you can take steps in being proactive. By checking SLAs, using file transfer from one vendor, and using active-active clustering you are helping to prevent risk of downtime.

To talk to Superior IT Innovations about your current situation, or ask any questions on what we can do help your business run more smoothly, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are an international provider of many services, but IT is something that we take pride in. If you need help with developing a disaster recovery plan, have a question about business continuity, or want to find out what you could be doing better, let’s chat!