Network Outages Threaten Business Continuity and Customers’ Trust: Kaspersky

ISLAMABAD: Network outages pose significant challenges for businesses, disrupting productivity, revenue streams and customer confidence. Kaspersky’s research shows that the majority of companies (71%) need between one and five hours to restore operations after an outage, while one in ten (12%) may require a full workday or even longer. Recognizing the impact and frequency of these outages, Kaspersky’s experts are providing strategies to help business prevent them.

A network outage is a period of time when a network becomes unavailable or malfunctions, often due to hardware failure, software glitches, human error, or even natural disasters. Aging equipment, poor maintenance, or unexpected power surges are common culprits. Software bugs can also disrupt network functionality.

Human error is also a significant factor in network outages. Misconfigurations, improper handling of equipment, or accidental deletion of critical data can all lead to network downtime. Additionally, cyberattacks such as DDoS attacks or malware infections can compromise network security and cause disruptions. Environmental factors like natural disasters (storms or floods), accidents or power outages may also contribute to network outages.

Kaspersky recommends that it is important for companies to have a plan in place to quickly and effectively restore their network after an outage occurs. The first step in recovering from a network outage is to determine the root cause of the issue and keep all relevant parties informed about the outage, including employees, customers, suppliers, and other partners. Clear and timely communication can help manage expectations and minimize the impact of the outage.
To prevent future network outages, businesses should have redundant systems and backups that may include backup servers, network equipment, and data storage solutions that can be activated in case of an outage. Companies should establish protocols for monitoring network performance, conducting regular tests, and implementing security measures to protect against cyber threats. A disaster recovery plan outlines the steps that need to be taken to restore the network in case of a major outage or disaster. It is essential to support network performance.

Nearly a third of companies (31%) have low frequency or no formal replacement schedule for routers and Customer Premises Equipment (CPEs) that help provide secure access to the networks and enable connectivity between multiple locations. To build reliable networks and maintain geo-distributed businesses, it’s recommended to use specialized solutions such as Kaspersky SD-WAN. This solution manages the entire corporate network from a single console, enhancing companies’ application performance and converging separate communication channels and network functions.

By following these recommendations, businesses can minimize the impact of network outages and ensure the continuity of their operations.