Phones are the nucleus of many businesses. They鈥檙e the easiest and most convenient way of communicating and collaborating with clients and colleagues. So it's easy to imagine the frustration when your phone service is disconnected due to a natural disaster Mikko Rantanen Jersey , network outage, or other unforeseeable circumstances. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the risk of downtime and make sure you can protect yourself from losing connectivity again
Despite the popularity of new communication tools in today's industries, phones remain the nucleus of many businesses. They鈥檙e the easiest, most convenient Gabriel Landeskog Jersey , and most accessible way of communicating and collaborating with clients, customers, and colleagues. So it's easy to imagine the frustration when you find out that your phone service has suddenly been disconnected due to a natural disaster, network outage, or other unforeseeable circumstances. Fortunately Nathan MacKinnon Jersey , there are ways to minimize the risk of downtime and make sure you can protect yourself from losing connectivity again.
Mark Sher, the VP of Product and Marketing for Cloud Voice at Intermedia, offers a few insights on some of the most common causes of business communication downtime, what businesses can do when disaster strikes, as well as precautions a company should take to dodge downtime.
Common Causes of Communications Downtime
In order to avoid the hassle Colorado Avalanche Jersey , headache, cost, and other consequences associated with downtime in your communications, it pays to identify its potential causes first. According to Intermedia, here are some of the common culprits that can bring a business鈥?communications system to a halt:
System failure
Power outages: Lightning strikes a power pole; power outage shuts down locale phone system switch; short circuit from broken down wiring insulation causing circuit damage; power surge
Hardware failures: On-site PBX system crashes; cooling fans shut down and PBX overheats; phones overheat; misconfiguration or downloading of the wrong configuration
Human Element
Theft: PBX hardware gets stolen; thieves damage equipment looking for valuables; phones are stolen
Sabotage: Employee purposefully destroys a company鈥檚 PBX unit; phone company site hit by saboteurs Patrick Kane Jersey , ransomware or other virus infects the company and shuts down network and phone lines
Accident: Employee spills coffee on PBX unit; car crashes into power or phone line pole; construction worker digs into underground phone or power lines
The Cost of Communications Downtime
Communications downtime, regardless of the cause or the extent, can have a considerable impact on a business鈥?operations and bottom line. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 40% of small businesses go out of business when faced with an unplanned disruption. Similar findings from the Disaster Recovery Preparedness Council鈥檚 State of Global Disaster Recovery Preparedness annual report also reveal that, in 2014 Corey Crawford Jersey , 38.3% of businesses lost up to $20,000 due to losing critical IT services (like phones) or data, 10% lost up to $100,000, and 19.6% lost more than $50 Jonathan Toews Jersey ,000 to over $5 million.
Such alarming figures only indicate that businesses need to develop and implement a strong disaster recovery plan. Otherwise, they may fall victim to the consequences and find themselves paying a hefty price.
How VoIP Helps Businesses Get Back to Business Faster