Over half of U.S. businesses participating in a recent survey conducted by Paragon Software have experienced unscheduled server/workstation downtime over the past 12 months. Hardware Failure and Power Outages Are the Most Common Causes
Paragon Software conducted a survey among 377 IT professionals August 29 – September 7, 2012. The survey found that over half (51.9 percent) of the businesses surveyed have experienced unscheduled downtime once or twice during the last 12 months. Further, 17.6 percent of those surveyed cite that unplanned downtime occurred more than twice during the year.
Respondents stated the following reasons for the cause of the downtime:
· Hardware failure: 39.4 percent
· Power outages: 22.1 percent
· Operating System (OS) failure: 12.1 percent
· Human error: 13.2 percent
· Natural disaster: 5.1 percent
Other downtime causes cited by respondents included malicious cyber attacks, software errors and fire.
Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning
“Up to 40 percent of businesses fail after a disaster, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Yet only 43 percent feel prepared to handle an extensive emergency.” (Source: CEO.com, “40% Of Businesses Fail After Disaster Strikes,” May 14, 2012).
Data backup and Disaster Recovery planning are important components in a successful Business Continuity program for firms of all sizes. Should a disaster occur, there should be a solid plan in place where everyone knows their responsibilities to minimize damage to the company and its resources. To effectively implement a strategy, all departments of the organization need to be involved in crafting, testing, and updating a company’s disaster recovery/business continuity (DR/BC) plan.
Results of the Paragon Q3 Survey demonstrated that 31.7 percent do not have a DR/BC plan; 4.5 percent had no idea whether or not their company had a plan in place.