IT systems are at the core of most business’ operations. Businesses today rely heavily on their IT systems for security, performance and productivity, but many businesses’ IT systems cannot handle modern business needs. In fact, over 60% of data backups are incomplete and 50% of restoration efforts fail. These stats indicate just how ill-equipped most businesses are when dealing with any major issue that affects their IT systems. The root issue is whether or not a company’s IT systems are proactive or reactive.
What are proactive and reactive IT systems?
Proactive and reactive IT systems refer to how IT operations are performed on a basic level in a business. When something goes wrong in operations, how does the IT team and systems react? Are they prepared to handle the issue and how long will it take for systems to return to normal?
Proactive IT is when an IT team can handle and has already prepared for common issues that occur within the business. When a business has proactive IT operations, they are able to easily handle the vast majority of IT issues that come up and business is able to return to normal fairly quickly.
Reactive IT is when an IT team is not prepared for the issues that happen in their operations. Instead of having a plan of action and systems in place to mitigate risk, the IT team has to fend for the business whenever an issue occurs. This often leads to slow system recovery and IT downtime for the business. Of course businesses will have to be reactive to unforeseen circumstances, but reactive IT teams are generally reactive to most issues in the workplace.
How can your business transition from reactive to proactive IT?
Monitoring: One practice that really separates reactive from proactive IT teams is the monitoring of systems. Proactive companies will regularly monitor all the critical systems to be aware of key risks to operations. With proactive monitoring, the business can plan ahead and prevent slowdowns, system failures and overall IT downtime. This is a crucial step to transition from a reactive to a proactive IT company.
Contingency planning: Having a simple plan in place in case of any IT failure will help improve proactiveness significantly. If your business can fall back on a plan in case a scenario happens, it will allow you to navigate situations without excess stress and impulse decision-making. Contingency plans can be simple “if this happens, we will do this” plans. This can serve as the first line of action when an IT system fails.
System audits: One of the best ways to have a proactive IT operation is to thoroughly audit your IT system. The majority of issues that happen in your IT systems are recurring issues that can be dealt with after auditing your systems. System audits help reveal the most costly and recurring issues and addressing them can help save a lot of time and money.
To learn more about how you can transition from a reactive to a proactive IT system, talk to an expert here.
