Seamless Operations: How Managed Service Providers Eliminate Downtime Hassle 

Downtime can be a costly nightmare, especially in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business landscape. Every moment of system unavailability, micro or major outage, translates to a potential loss of revenue, decreased productivity, damaged reputation, and eroded customer trust. Fortunately, managed services providers (MSPs) have emerged as the ultimate safeguard against downtime, helping businesses maintain uninterrupted operations. In today’s blog, we will explore how MSPs play a pivotal role in averting downtime hassle and ensuring the smooth functioning of critical IT infrastructure.

Understanding Downtime in Business

     What is Downtime? 

Downtime refers to the period during which an IT system is offline, a service fails to perform its primary function, or an application is not operational for use. It can be planned (scheduled and anticipated downtime), such as during routine maintenance, upgrades, repairs, or testing; or unplanned (unintentional and can occur anytime) due to technical failures, cyberattacks, or natural disasters. 

     What are the Causes of Downtime?

There are a variety of factors that can cause downtime. Here are the most common causes of downtime: 

1. Hardware Failure: When servers, routers, or other hardware components fail, they can bring down entire systems. Hardware failures account for about 36% of major network-related outages, making them the most common cause of downtime. 
2. Software Glitches: Bugs and glitches in operating systems, applications, and databases can lead to system failures or crashes. Software failures caused about 23% of all outages in terms of major network or connectivity issues. 
3. Human Error: Mistakes made during routine maintenance or updates, such as incorrectly configuring systems, accidentally deleting files, or installing malicious software, can lead to downtime. In fact, human error accounts for about 22% of unplanned data centre outages. 
4. Cyberattacks: Cybersecurity breaches, such as DDoS attacks or ransomware, can cripple systems and services. In fact, an average ransomware attack can cause 15 business days of downtime, with losses of approximately $8,500 per hour. 
5. Natural Disasters: Natural disasters such as floods, fires, and earthquakes can also cause downtime. Though less common (10%), these events can be very disruptive and are more likely to affect small businesses. 
6. Third-party or Cloud Outages: Downtime is inevitable. Even major cloud providers were impacted by outages. In fact, third-party vendors (e.g., cloud and telecommunication providers) account for 63% of all publicly reported outages since 2016 and 70% in 2021. 

     The Other Causes of Downtime

There are, of course, other, more specific causes of downtime, some of which may be more prevalent in either small businesses or larger organisations. 

For instance, due to financial restrictions, small businesses are less able to invest in robust IT infrastructure, IT training, and suitable security solutions, increasing the likelihood of downtime. Large organisations, on the other hand, are more likely to experience downtime due to the complexity of their IT infrastructure and the sheer number of users and apps they support. 

But given the circumstances, it doesn’t matter how big or small a company is; downtime is always an inconvenience. That’s why having a disaster recovery plan in place will help you recover from system outages more quickly and with less disruption to your business.

The Costly Consequences of Business Downtime 

Downtime is not merely an inconvenience; it comes with a price tag. Whether it’s a website, an e-commerce platform, or an internal network, downtime is anathema to business continuity; and the consequences can be dire. 

The average cost of IT downtime across all industries can range from $5,600 to $9,000 per minute at the low end and as much as $540,000 per hour at the higher end. The average revenue loss during business-critical outages in Australia was $144,062.52 per hour for larger organisations and more than $2,000 per hour for smaller organisations (those with fewer than 20,000 employees).  

Pingdom lists the average cost of downtime per Industry: 

• Media: $90,000 per hour 
• IT: $5,600 per minute or $145,000 – $450,000 per hour 
• Manufacturing: $260,000 per hour 
• Enterprise: $300,000 per minute or over $1 million per hour 
• Health care: $636,000 per hour 
• Retail: $1.1 million per hour 
• Telecommunications: $2 million per hour 
• Energy: $2.48 million per hour 
• Auto: $50,000 per minute or $3 million per hour 
• Brokerage service: $6.48 million per hour 

 In 2022, 32% of outages lasted more than 12 hours, and 16% lasted more than 48 hours (about 2 days). Moreover, 41% of organisations experience at least one significant outage per month and 59% of Fortune 500 companies experience at least 1.6 hours of downtime per week.

     The Other Costs of Downtime

Every minute of downtime can result in significant revenue losses. E-commerce websites, for instance, can lose thousands of dollars in just a few minutes of unavailability. But every outage causes more than just revenue loss for businesses of all sizes. Here are several other areas that suffer too: 

1. Productivity Drain: Internal systems and networks are the lifeblood of many businesses. When they go down, employees are left twiddling their thumbs, unable to perform their tasks efficiently. 
2. Increased security risks: Security threats rise when a system is offline, as cybercriminals have more opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities in the system or launch cyberattacks. 
3. Damage to brand reputation: The reputation of a company and its ability to retain customers can take a hit when service is frequently interrupted. Frequent or extended outages might leave customers feeling unhappy and lead them to seek alternatives. 
4. Customer Dissatisfaction: Customers have come to expect 24/7 access to services. Downtime frustration can erode trust and drive customers to the closest rival.

How MSPs Keep Unplanned Downtime to a Minimum

MSPs are the unsung heroes in the battle against downtime. A trustworthy managed service provider can make your business resilient to downtime. Its managed services encompass a wide array of IT functions, including network management, data backup and recovery, cybersecurity, proactive monitoring, and business continuity planning that can minimise or eliminate business interruptions 

So, how do managed service providers reduce downtime? 

     1. Proactive Monitoring

Managed service providers don’t wait for things to break. They proactively monitor systems and services, identifying potential issues and addressing them before they can cause downtime. This approach involves regular system checks (e.g., pen tests, vulnerability testing, or risk assessments), updates, and patch management to keep systems running smoothly. 

     2. Cybersecurity Fortification

Cybersecurity threats are a significant cause of downtime. Fortunately, MSPs are on the front lines of defence in an age of ever-evolving cyber threats. They implement robust cybersecurity measures, constantly update defences, and educate employees about potential risks. This reduces the likelihood of cyberattacks that can result in crippling downtime. 

     3. Round-the-Clock Support

Downtime doesn’t adhere to a Monday through Friday schedule, and neither do MSPs. Their teams of skilled technicians and engineers are available around the clock to provide rapid issue resolution. They offer 24/7 support and endpoint protection, ensuring that even if an issue arises in the dead of night, there’s an expert team ready to tackle it. 

     4. Business Continuity Planning

MSPs assist businesses in developing and implementing a comprehensive BCP, or business continuity plan. BSPs include data backups, redundancy measures, and strategies to recover quickly from unforeseen events such as natural disasters or cyberattacks. In a disaster, MSPs ensure that critical data is protected and accessible and that critical business operations continue running in the face of disruptions. 

Don’t Let Downtime Disrupt Your Business. Get Hexicor Managed Services Today!

In the relentless pursuit of business success, downtime is the arch-enemy and managed services are the caped crusaders swooping in to save the day. With their proactive approach, 24/7 support, cybersecurity prowess, and resource efficiency, MSPs help businesses improve IT resilience and avoid the costly consequences of downtime. 

Every second counts in today’s fast-paced digital world. That’s why choosing the right managed service provider could mean the difference between reaching new heights and falling behind rivals. 

     Why Choose Hexicor Manages Services

If you’re seeking to eliminate downtime hassles and maintain seamless business operations, Hexicor is your reliable managed services partner. 

With proactive monitoring, rapid issue resolution, disaster recovery planning, business continuity, scalability, cybersecurity measures, and access to expertise, we ensure that downtime is minimised, your business operations continue interrupted, and you can thrive in an increasingly digital world. 

Don’t gamble with downtime—embrace the power of Hexicormanaged services.

Before downtime strikes, contact Hexicor to discuss your business challenges so we can provide accurate and expert guidance on your business continuity and disaster recovery plan.

Frequently Asked Questions about the MSPs role in eliminating downtime hassles