Why do IT systems fail?

Simple problems
The simplest problems have the potential to be the most difficult to deal with, primarily because they happen most frequently. ‘Simple’ problems include the printer failing to print, a file which can’t be found, a user who can’t log on to their PC, or the inability to access certain documents. If a business has 25 users, it can expect to have around 50 issues like this each month; time-consuming to deal with, especially if there’s no access to experienced problem solvers.

Data storage
IT systems can fail due to lack of data storage, such as insufficient hard disk space on a user’s PC. Many smaller businesses lack the resources to monitor storage servers on a regular basis, and even companies with IT staff find fixing data storage problems time consuming. Email is also a major drain on storage resources. People tend to keep emails and many use them as their main storage and filing system on their PC. These often include large attachments such as Excel, Powerpoint and Word documents which all eat into data storage until maximum capacity is reached and the system slows down or comes to a halt.

Back-up failures
Far too many companies risk suffering a complete data loss because they lack a reliable back-up solution. Many companies are not prepared for, or experienced in, retrieving data when something goes wrong, even though most businesses view customer information as critical to service customers and measure staff productivity. A common issue surrounding back-up is that while many businesses have a system installed, not all take the time to check that it is updated regularly and working effectively. In line with data storage, it’s vital to make regular inspections and assess whether there is enough back-up space to accommodate growing data requirements. A daily back-up procedure will ensure day-to-day operations are constantly up to date.

Security
Many businesses don’t realise the impact a virus can have until one disables their system. Non-existent anti-virus protection, security holes and irregularly updated virus definitions are some of the reasons businesses fall prey to common, simple-to-resolve viruses. It’s essential that businesses make sure their systems are patched at frequent and regular intervals and that anti-virus software is constantly maintained and updated.

Time constraints
Finding a qualified IT manager to handle all types of technical issues is a difficult task for all businesses, but is often harder for smaller organisations where staff may undertake a range of job functions alongside IT updates. A good IT manager needs to be a jack-of-all-trades, competent in handling serious issues such as network failure and website problems as well as mundane, everyday tasks. However, even for the most experienced of technicians, the infrequent problems can take the most time to resolve, as they need to re-familiarise themselves with procedures, such as adding new email users or dealing with issues in a variety of software applications.

Poor asset management
It becomes clear, often too late, that many businesses are neglecting the management of their IT asset portfolio. Vital in order to determine when a device or software requires maintenance, upgrading or replacing, IT asset management is a complex and specialist field which, if handled correctly, can be a source of business advantage. Future planning, scalability and system upgrades are easily implemented if a full IT equipment inventory is available. However, many businesses neglect to audit equipment for these purposes, incurring extra costs and downtime when new systems and software are installed and compatibility issues arise.

Date: Apr 5 2007 11:09AM
Category: BUSINESS EDITORIAL