Does your company in Southern California run its own server? If so, then you know that server downtime is one of the worst things that can happen. When your server is down, your employees tend to become unproductive and your business may end up losing money and customers if this becomes a recurring problem. In this blog post, we will discuss the most common causes of server downtime and how to prevent them.
Human error
Server issues can be caused by human error, such as mistakenly removing power cables, setting the server room temperature incorrectly, and failing to measure disk or server capacity. Any of these seemingly harmless mistakes might cause significant problems and thousands of dollars in revenue loss.
Human errors tend to happen even in the most optimal of settings, but you can take the following steps to lessen the chances of them happening and/or minimize the negative consequences.
- Document server tasks.
- Conduct regular assessments and training of your IT team.
- Set up secure server access points and protocols.
- Invest in automated server maintenance and security solutions.
Cyberattacks
The multitude of vulnerabilities these days offer threat actors a way into private servers, allowing them to steal data, shut down applications, and deny access to key assets. Other cybercriminals gain control of Internet of Things devices and use these to carry out denial-of-service attacks that paralyze and crash servers, resulting in significant downtime.
Here are some things you can do to help prevent cyberattacks on your server:
- Use firewalls and anti-malware software.
- Perform regular penetration testing of your servers.
- Deploy endpoint detection and response solutions.
- Partner with a cybersecurity services provider for robust protection.
Hardware and software failure
Unfortunately, servers do fail for a variety of reasons. Servers may crash because of faulty RAMs, power supply failures, physically damaged hard drive platters, corrupted operating systems, or buggy software updates. Any one of these failures can cause significant downtime.
To minimize the effects of hardware and software failures, it is highly recommended to have the following solutions:
- 24/7 network and server monitoring
- Cloud server solutions
- Software contingencies
- Virtualization tools
- Regular updates, maintenance, and debugging of server software
Natural disasters
Natural disasters like floods, fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes account for just a small percentage of the common causes of server downtime, but when they do happen, they tend to be catastrophic and lead to extended shutdowns. Worse, these events can also cause damage to the rest of your system, which can still put your data at risk even if your servers manage to remain unscathed.
It’s always good to have any of the following backup infrastructures to ensure your team stays productive in case disaster strikes.
- Backup and disaster recovery plans
- Hybrid server arrangements
- Hosted computing platforms
Understaffed IT teams
There are numerous distinct duties involved in keeping servers operational, and it's critical that you have staff who can handle your server needs. Without enough personnel to monitor and manage your IT environments, server issues will almost certainly happen, which will then result in prolonged downtime.
For businesses with limited resources, partnering with a competent managed IT services provider (MSP) is an excellent way to counteract the consequences of having a small in-house IT team. MSPs like USWired provide clients with robust server management tools and services to ensure business servers are always running optimally.
Servers are complex machines that require expert care, so make sure they are properly managed by professionals. Partnering with specialized server technicians such as our experts at USWired will allow you to maximize your server investments while minimizing the costs of ownership and operation. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help with your server needs.
