The modern business is an intricate fabric of IT infrastructure, integrating networks and technologies to support its overall mission.
A single point of failure can bring the entire system to a halt, causing significant downtime. During such outages, networks become inaccessible, preventing users from interacting with the organization’s systems. IT teams must then act swiftly to restore functionality, safeguarding against data loss, revenue loss, and damage to the company’s reputation.
On average, nearly $50 million in annual sales is being missed out because of downtime according to research from Splunk. Just by being more consistent and available than the competition, IT teams can create a competitive advantage through superior resilience and efficiency.
So, why are businesses still finding challenges in ensuring business continuity?
VP Engineering & Architecture at GTT.
An environment of threats
The causes of downtime are complex, as businesses and their environments sometimes evolve in unexpected ways. Premises and digital infrastructure designed for specific outcomes may become outdated due to new technologies or priorities, leading to the creation of inefficiencies and blind spots.
According to a Databarracks survey, nearly a quarter of businesses (24%) suffered downtime as a result of a cyber incident last year, with a key threat being DDoS attacks.
GTT research revealed DDoS attacks are causing huge problems for organizations. In the first half of 2024, there was a 25% increase in multi-vector DDoS attacks recorded, with these threats continuing to escalate through the second half of the year. Addressing both malicious and non-malicious causes of downtime requires comprehensive, flexible strategies – relying on tactical responses to individual issues is no longer sufficient.
The (not-so) secret ingredients to business continuity
The first step in preventing downtime is assessing the network architecture. After all, you can’t defend what you can’t see. Enterprises should evaluate the importance and requirements of both redundant connectivity and high availability network designs as a strategy to mitigate brownouts and blackouts.
Mapping out an entire network, identifying tools and operations which are critical in delivering products or services, and those areas which are at a higher risk of attack or compromise lays the foundation for an effective downtime prevention strategy.
Once the network has been mapped, and core competencies have been recognized, ensuring that redundancy measures are in place allows business decision makers and IT teams sleep easier. Increasing redundancy for both hardware and traffic pathways mean that no single point of failure will completely shut down the organization, and if one area fails, data still has alternate routes to flow through.
Sites cannot be too overprovisioned when it comes to downtime prevention, but budgets typically limit the art of the possible. Look for solutions and partnerships that offer what is needed today but also offer the ability to make soft changes when needs shift. This ability means when there are shocks to the system, IT teams don’t have to rip and replace but can quickly enhance and solve without investing heavily in new in-house solutions.
What should never be missing from this network assessment is the maintenance of a good security posture. As addressed previously, DDoS attacks are only getting more common and are coming from more vectors than ever. DDoS mitigation technologies, such as the use of data scrubbing centers and traffic filtering, ensures any inbound traffic is analyzed and cleansed of any malicious packages before it reaches the users’ network.
DDoS prevention strategies should consider the approach organizations take to attack detection. Either taking the responsibility of detection in-house and reacting to incidents after-the-fact or having an always-on proactive DDoS solution. Robust DDoS solutions don’t just mitigate attacks, but do so automatically, ideally in real-time, to prevent any possible downtime and maintain business continuity when targeted.
Leaving it to the experts
Once the network has been assessed, measures implemented, and teams briefed on their priorities – then what? All the ingredients for downtime prevention must come together in the right mix and be focused on the right areas to cater for the business’ specific needs.
The process of establishing these frameworks can be drawn out and arduous, which inevitably takes time away from business growth opportunities like R&D, service improvements or identifying efficiencies. Working with a partner can alleviate this stress and create room for growth in a secure environment.
Network monitoring for cyberattacks is a 24x7x365 task, this always-on state of constant vigilance can be a huge drain for IT security teams. By collaborating with seasoned managed service security providers (MSSPs), organizations can benefit from having “more eyes” monitoring their network architecture and corporate IT. MSSPs are able to instantly monitor and address any issues, freeing up internal IT staff to concentrate on making the best choices possible to maintain business continuity.
Downtime prevention is a competitive advantage
As customer expectations continue to rise and expect faster connectivity, the urgency to ensure business continuity has never been greater. Often the best way to illustrate the importance of downtime strategies is to put it into financial terms, securing leadership commitment by equating it with a loss of future income and brand depletion.
A company’s business continuity and disaster recovery strategies will be unique to them, and the decision to concentrate their efforts internally or enlisting the help of partners depends on their size and needs. What matters, though, is that downtime prevention stays a priority. Businesses can reduce downtime and assure continuity by combining novel technologies and frameworks, to react quickly should the worst happen.
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