Four Signs Your IT Environment Has Reliability Issues

Maintaining an efficient IT environment is no easy task. Most IT departments approach such initiatives with their organization's best interests at heart. However, communication issues, internal politics, and differences in management philosophies can stifle even the best plans. So how do you know where you stand? We have laid out four symptoms that indicate your IT architecture has fallen off the reliability track.

1. Excessive Downtime

Downtime is a critical metric which customers use to measure the companies they do business with. The more outages your business experiences, the more confidence customers will lose in your ability to manage their IT environment or safeguard their data. Over time, that loss of confidence can trickle down to partners and even employees who are burdened with the repetitive task of scrambling to get systems back online. Whether it's due to hardware failure or security breaches, constant outages are a telltale sign of a vulnerable infrastructure.

2. Legacy Overload

Technology moves at blazing speeds, seemingly faster than life itself. Before you know it, the rest of the world has upgraded to Windows 10 while you're still clicking your way around the XP version. This scenario often occurs within an organization that is reluctant to upgrade to a new system because other existing applications are still dependent on that older system. While legacy systems in the enterprise are not uncommon, outdated technology can hold an infrastructure hostage, making your business vulnerable to stability problems and security breaches among other issues.

3. Duplicate Data

Redundant data may not seem like a big deal on the surface. After all, even consumers are equipped with terabyte hard drives these days. With that said, it can be a major problem in IT environments where capacity is a critical resource. Duplicates consume precious space, hike up storage costs, and increases the likelihood of potentially catastrophic database failures. Redundant data doesn't guarantee stability or availability issues. It does, however, point to poor planning, which could eventually prove cost prohibitive on multiple fronts.

4. Lack of Scalability 

The inability to add new capacity or functionality without a dramatic overhaul of the underlying architecture can hinder your ability to move forward. Let's say you experience a sudden surge in subscriptions after rolling out a new product or advertising campaign. If you can't handle the increase in customers, data, and resources, it could have a direct impact on operational efficiency and overall quality of service. Your reputation and customer relations may suffer as well. One of the biggest challenges in managing any IT environment is keeping up with the surrounding landscape. That landscape is always evolving as consumer interests change and new trends emerge. In order to stay competitive, an organization must be able to adapt in ways that allow them to thrive in the moment. Designing an IT environment with scalability in mind is the key to unlocking such levels agility and adaptability. Conclusion An unreliable infrastructure will always struggle to achieve its full potential. If your IT environment is suffering from any of the aforementioned issues, now is the time to act. The effort you put in today will pay off in better stability, availability, and reliability tomorrow.