In today’s world, your business needs power, internet, functioning computers, Wi-Fi and to some extent, telephone communication. Without any one of those, your business suffers. Some businesses choose to have a generator for emergency power but lack a plan when their other network elements are taken ransom or stop working as they should. What does that cost the average business? IT downtime costs businesses billions every year.
How much Will a Network Failure Cost My Business?
There’s no one answer to this question. The cost of having one team member with a virus infected laptop is obviously less than that of a company’s data being held ransom. The other factors include what you do and the size of your business. The Ponemon Institute calculates the average cost for IT downtime to be $9,000 a minute. That number is likely high for a small to medium size business where more conservative estimates see it average closer to $275 per minute. Remember, rarely is a network down for just a few minutes. A data breach, virus or other catastrophe could last hours or even days.
What You Can Do
If your business isn’t securely backing up your data regularly off-site, that’s the first step you should take. Second, you need a secure network with a firewall and quality virus/malware protection. Third, no business should be without an IT handbook that your employees understand and follow. This simple, and often neglected step, helps prevent IT downtime by ensuring that staff understands what to do and not to do on their computers, cell phones and other devices connected to the network. Of course, having a managed service provider who checks your network and provides you with tools to help prevent IT downtime and who can restore your data if necessary is also essential.
Call Toucan Technology Group
No matter whether your business provides goods or services, you need a plan. Toucan Technology Group helps businesses reduce the costs associated with various types of network and technology downtime by providing secure data backup, technical support and many other services. If you’re looking for a managed service provider to help your company survive a hack, call us for a free initial consultation and learn what we do and how we can help – (317) 376-4874.
