Category Archives: Manage Service

What does downtime mean for your business

Manage Service, , , ,
Employee working in an office showing frustration over their company's system downtime.

Losing productivity due to device misconfiguration any other system downtime issues?

Nowadays, most companies rely on cloud-based networks to offer their products and services. It is, therefore, crucial to have a solid IT infrastructure. Unscheduled downtime can affect your business in many ways, including reduced productivity, lost customers, reputational damage, and high remediation costs. Whenever the IT system gets downtime, your small business will suffer.

According to research by Gartner, the average cost of downtime per minute is $5,600. For one hour, the cost can go up to between $14,000 and $540,000. However, the cost varies depending on business size and industry. It is crucial to understand how a system downtime affects your organization’s operations.

Causes of downtime

Let’s begin by looking at the causes of downtime. Here are some main causes.

Human error

Human error is a common cause of unplanned downtime. Employees can unplug cables, or delete data accidentally, which could lead to downtime. Fortunately, you can reduce human error through regular training of your employees.

Hardware or software failure

If you are using obsolete hardware or software, you increase the chances of a system outage. Applying patches without testing them first can cause the entire application to become corrupt.

Natural disasters

Floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes can affect the power supply, which can lead to damage. Natural disasters can lead to downtime if they extend for longer.

Device misconfiguration

Configuration errors create security gaps in the network and thus make it vulnerable to cyberattacks. You can avoid misconfiguration errors by automating the process. Make sure you test the configurations in a last before you implement them to your system.

Consequences of downtime

When you are unprepared, you’ll have to deal with the consequences of downtime. The effect of the downtime can either be long-term or short-term, depending on the frequency. Here are some consequences of downtime.

Lost productivity

Losing network access in your business could bring your workplace to a stop. If you are like most companies, then you rely on online communications. Critical systems will become unavailable when there is downtime. You use task management systems, virtual chat software, email, and customer support systems. Your employees will not have work to do when your business experiences downtime. You’ll end up paying rent and salaries even though there was no meaningful work due to the downtime.

Data loss

Downtime not only affects your business but your clients as well. When there is downtime due to cyberattacks, it can result in stolen or damaged data. Any unexpected downtime can expose your customer’s data to cybercriminals. Most companies back up their data to avoid unexpected data loss. Organizations that rely on big data analytics to make their decisions can lose their data resources when downtime occurs.

Lost business opportunities

If you do substantial business online, loss of network means that your customers will be unable to find your products or services. Fewer customers means your revenue will be reduced. A downtime makes it impossible to connect with your customers. Employees will be unable to offer support since they don’t have the necessary tools. Therefore, a downtime can drive away your prospects and existing clients.

Damaged brand image

Customers expect a seamless experience every time. Downtime is unacceptable and delays are just intolerable. All it takes to damage your brand’s image is a single downtime event. When you get repeated downtime, your customers will be unhappy and they’ll leave bad customer reviews.

One way you can minimize downtime is by taking a proactive approach to operations and systems maintenance. With the necessary backups, redundant and rollover, you can easily eliminate downtime. You can get help from a team of experienced individuals monitoring and being proactive to prevent downtime and that is where SystemsNet comes into play. Contact us today.

Protect The Lifeblood of Your Business With 24x7x365 Proactive Monitoring of Network Infrastructure

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IT professional in a control monitoring center using a laptop to monitor a business' network infrastructure

Protecting your business with proactive network monitoring.

Your network infrastructure is the lifeblood of your business and it should be under 24x7x365 proactive monitoring. As a business, you have to protect the core of your operations and your network infrastructure is at the heart of it. Significant downtime can result in losses in productivity and losses of profitability for your business. Your business needs to have a dedicated proactive monitoring solution in place to watch for downtime and other malicious threats.

Maximize The Availability of Your Network Infrastructure

Businesses that fail to proactively monitor their network infrastructure will be more vulnerable to downtime and other malicious threats and attacks. Businesses need a team of dedicated IT professionals who will monitor their network infrastructure 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. A 24x7x365 Proactive Monitoring service will do the following:

  • Monitor your network infrastructure for suspicious activity, malicious attacks, and system failures
  • Ensure your mission-critical systems and applications are up and running as intended
  • Limit the chances of your network infrastructure going offline
  • Detect and correct small problems before they turn into major problems
Protect Your Infrastructure from Human Errors and Cyberattacks with 24x7x365 Proactive Monitoring

With 24x7x365 Proactive Monitoring, your business will be equipped with remote monitoring and maintenance tools to monitor the lifeblood of your systems 24x7x365. Your network will be proactively patched and updated. A proactive monitoring service will monitor your systems for unexpected downtime, server disruptions, cyberattacks, human errors, and other issues that could lead to system and network crashes.

A proactive monitoring service will perform an analysis of your network to make sure that it is set up properly and set up to avoid downtime and setbacks. With 24x7x365 proactive monitoring, you will have a greater sense of relief knowing that your network infrastructure is being protected.

In the current business environment, it is crucial that a business’s network infrastructure is available at all times and disruption is kept to a minimum. At SystemsNet, we respond proactively to events as they take place, minimizing their impact on your business. As a result, our proactive monitoring services will reduce network infrastructure downtime.

We will monitor and maintain your business’s network infrastructure, network devices, and manage your configuration, ensuring everything performs efficiently and seamlessly.

24x7x365 Proactive Monitoring: More Than An Extra Set of Eyes

24x7x365 monitoring takes on critical and tedious tasks off the shoulders of your internal IT team. With our proactive monitoring service, your internal IT team can redshift their focus and turn it back to tasks that can generate revenue, instead of being concerned with operational tasks. With proactive monitoring, problems that cause disruption to your infrastructure will be eliminated. Proactive monitoring will serve as more than an additional set of eyes on your network infrastructure. The service will do the following:

  • Provide greater visibility into your networks and applications
  • Troubleshoot issues before they negatively impact your business
  • Monitor the performance of your network, uptime, and connectivity
  • Prevent downtime and outages by using early warning detection
  • Schedule updates and patches regularly

A true IT firm will immediately know when any part of your network goes down without you alerting them. We understand that network uptime is a priority and we will proactively monitor the health of your network infrastructure. Proactive monitoring is completed in a manner that will ensure your servers are efficient and healthy 24x7x365. We understand that every minute counts and small problems can significantly impact the services that you provide your customers and clients. Our proactive monitoring of your network infrastructure will enable you to focus on growing and excelling your business, while offering your business the flexibility and scalability it needs.

To discuss our proactive monitoring services and solutions, contact us today.

Deliver High-Quality Support To End Users With A Live Answer Help Desk

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Employee working for a company's live answer help desk, wearing a headset to answer calls and solve client's IT issues.

Delivering better customer service with secure and smooth running live answer help desk.

Technology has become an integral part of every business today, and decision-makers have learned that investing in IT will pay off. Just as technology is critical to ensuring effective business operations and processes, IT support services play a critical role in that efficiency as well. Reliable IT support helps you deal with the daily challenges that arise, particularly the challenges surrounding IT solutions and digital hardware.

Poor IT support can cost businesses thousands of dollars each year. Do you have issues with your service provider’s inability to respond quickly to service requests? Does your business interact with an IT support partner whose staff does not have the skillet and experience to utilize help desk applications that can accurately and effectively track support requests?

Your business needs a secure and smooth running system that will allow your teams to focus on the key tasks at hand. So what should you look for in an IT support provider?

Deliver Better Customer Service to End Users With A Live Answer Help Desk

When your end-users are having IT issues, they are immediately going to be stressed by the time they seek assistance from a member of the help desk, and the last thing they want to do is listen to a series of automated voices just to be placed on hold or have the call disconnected. Once your end users have finally connected with someone, the stress level and frustration rise when they are instructed to access a website and navigate through a series of steps, and then wait for a technician to connect to the site.

However, end users can have an entirely different experience when it comes to a Live Answer Help Desk. Key benefits of using a Live Answer Help Desk include the following:

  • Enhanced customer service
  • Faster response times
  • Quicker resolutions
  • Authenticated sense of urgency
  • Minimal disruption and reduced downtime

Customers appreciate being able to call a Live Answer Help Desk and have an available technician who understands how urgent the technical issue is.

Your First Line of IT Support

Instead of getting rid of the idea of providing telephone support and possibly damaging relationships, a Live Answer Help Desk will provide an effective solution that will manage these calls. Built to fulfill the needs of your end users and your business’s current landscape, a Live Answer Help Desk can be utilized to fulfill the needs of your end users.

A help desk needs to be a multi-dimensional resource. The primary function of the help desk is to provide the end user with information and support for a business’s processes, products, and services. A help desk consists of a group of specialized individuals who are capable of resolving issues. The responsibilities of the help desk is to solve all of the possible issues an end user may have and address all questions immediately.

How Can A Live Answer Help Desk Address Security?

Cyberattacks and data breaches continue to be a major challenge for IT support providers. In 2021, hundreds of thousands of businesses were victims of cyberattacks, and billions of confidential and sensitive data were breached. Therefore, it has become critical that providers understand how IT support plays a pivotal role in ensuring that a business’s data and other digital assets are protected.

This means that any sensitive or confidential information that is shared throughout the conversation with a Live Answer Help Desk representative must be kept safe from cybercriminals. An IT support provider should be aware of the necessary steps that are needed to ensure that none of the help desk features and components can be used as a way for malicious actors to infiltrate the system.

When end users call, we answer immediately or users will experience less than 2 minutes to answer hold times. End users will get the best service possible, from experts in the industry. Your tech solutions and systems are critical to your business. Protect your IT investments by choosing an IT services provider that can offer you the help desk support services that your business needs.

Best Practices for Setting Up Your New Office for Success: Wired or Wireless?

Manage Service, ,
Business professional holding a tablet device while speaking with an IT professional about setting up his new office space.

Weighing the pros and cons of setting up your office space.

Setting up your new physical office can be an exciting time. Surveying your space and imagining the quality work that’s going to get done there fires up the imagination like nothing else. With lots of options and decisions to make, however, the job of planning your new office can quickly pivot from exciting to stressful. One of the underlying questions you’ll have to bear in mind before you get started is whether you want to set up your new office space on a wired or wireless model.

Wired or Wireless Model? Pros and Cons

When planning your set-up, before you get in the weeds with lighting, office furniture, and décor, you’ll want to decide if your new office will be wired or wireless.

Wired Offices

Though wireless technology creates lots of flexibility, wired offices still carry some distinct advantages:

  • Wired internet may prove faster than wireless
  • Wired networks typically have stronger security options
  • Wired set-ups are often less expensive than wireless ones

Of course, in a completely wired office, laptop and tablet users will be out of luck in freedom moving about the office.

Wireless Offices

Just like wired office set-ups, totally wireless offices come with their own benefits:

  • Wireless connections increase mobility
  • Wireless systems are quicker and easier to install, since there’s no fiddling with connections and cables
  • Wireless networks typically present a neater and tidier appearance
  • Wireless networks allow for the latest in technology (including laptops and tablets)

Despite all these advantages, an exclusively wireless office isn’t always the best choice.

Benefits of Hybrid Deployment

Back in 2012, experts over at Inc. predicted that “the future of your office is wireless” and that some time in the near distant future, all office would be exclusively wireless.

This wire-free future will be the result of several technologies that exist or are in development, including one called WiGig, a multigigabit wireless docking technology capable of speeds of up to 7Gbps that runs on spectrum in the unlicensed 60 GHz frequency band. These frequencies are great for short-range communications and require line of sight between devices. That means it doesn’t work well between rooms. (Inc.com)

In a way, reading that description is a bit like time traveling.

While the technologies being described above have come and even been surpassed by more powerful and innovative replacements, we still haven’t seen a hard pivot to totally wireless offices.

While there are exceptions, most offices today deploy a hybrid approach to networking and internet access, and there are distinct reasons why this works best.

Naturally, if you choose an exclusively wireless office, you’ll lose all the advantages that come with wired connections; and if you choose to set up an exclusively wired office, the reverse is also true.

By deploying a hybrid set-up, including both wired and wireless connections, however, you’ll allow for the best of both worlds.

  • Security and mobility
  • Speed and aesthetics
  • Affordability and dependability

If you’re looking for current best practices for setting up your new office for success this year, rather than debating between wired and wireless connectivity, you would do best to lean more toward an inclusive hybrid model.

Of course, with a hybrid model, you’ll want to pay special attention to your network security.

That’s where we come in.

SystemsNet Can Help

At SystemsNet, we offer affordable plans to protect you from cybersecurity threats. If you’re interested in adding or tightening security for your business but aren’t sure where to start, we offer free consultations to get you on the right track.

For more information on our premium services, or to discuss setting your new office up for success, please contact us today. We look forward to serving you!