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Emergency IT Support in Chicago: What to Do When Your Team Faces an IT Outage
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Being unprepared for an IT emergency–such as a data breach, network outage, or hardware failure–can be detrimental for Chicagoland-based businesses. Cyber attacks can cost $8,000 a year for small businesses, according to one report. While another report suggests IT downtime can cost small and mid-sized businesses as much as $100,000 an hour.
Implementing both a robust recovery plan and emergency IT support, like that offered by Fifth Nine, ensures that Chicago businesses can navigate crises effectively, minimizing operational impact and maintaining business continuity.
In this article we’ll discuss common IT emergencies your business could face, a 6-step action plan to take when faced with such an emergency, and tips on choosing an emergency IT support provider that understands Chicago businesses.
If your business hasn’t yet faced a cybersecurity issue or an IT outage, then consider your business lucky. According to research, as many as 91% of businesses around the world “experience at least one outage quarterly.” That shows the need for Chicago businesses to have IT support readily available.
The most common IT outages and emergencies your business could face in the future include the following:
Unexpected software failures can halt critical operations, leading to significant downtime, and substantial costs.
For instance, imagine you’re the owner of a retail shop in the Wicker Park neighborhood that suffers a complete point-of-sale system crash. And to make matters worse, it happens during a busy summer weekend. Not only does it make the job for you and your employees more difficult, but it can:
Software crashes and their consequences aren’t restricted just to retail businesses. They can affect B2B companies and their customers, as well medical practices and their patients.
Cybersecurity threats, such as ransomware and phishing attacks, have escalated dramatically and can affect small to mid-sized businesses–not just large corporations. Doctors’ offices and dental practices can fall victim to these threats, as patient data is very valuable. However, your business doesn’t have work with such critical information, as most business types involve some sort of sensitive data.
Consider how much your information the different businesses you deal with on a frequent basis have. Social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, credit card numbers–many businesses need that information to provide you with products and services, but that information can be vulnerable.
Does your business take credit card payments? Does your business require customers to fill out forms? Then you're working with important data that can be a target.
And the simple fact that you’re a small or mid-sized business makes you a potential target of cyber attacks as well. Cyber criminals know you don’t have the same IT support as a large company, however, partnering with Fifth Nine and our cybersecurity solutions can help protect your business.
Emergency IT scenarios aren’t just a result of cyber criminals and their attacks. Some IT outages can be caused by data loss.
Data loss might not sound that dangerous, but it poses serious risks to businesses. For instance, imagine you’re a medical practice, and the software that handles your patient records just suffered a glitch. The software somehow deleted all of your practice’s critical patient records.
While your office may not be dealing with ransomware or a phishing attack, the recovery process from such a data loss caused by a software glitch can still be lengthy and costly. This underscores the importance of implementing effective data-loss prevention strategies, which we'll discuss later in this article.
If your business hasn’t suffered one of these major IT outages, don’t continue to bank on luck. Instead, create an action plan with these 6 steps.
When your team is faced with a disruptive IT outage, time is of the essence. Take these steps to minimize downtime and the financial impact to your business.
Do not wait; contact your IT support provider as soon as you know there is an issue. Every minute counts.
At Fifth Nine, we offer 24/7 emergency IT support for Chicago small and mid-sized businesses. Our dedicated Helpdesk Support team possesses the expertise to assess and resolve IT issues swiftly, both remotely and on-site. We’re just a click or phone call away.
Tip: Ensure you have your incident report ready, detailing what occurred prior to the crash.
Discuss the symptoms of the outage with your team and identify any error messages or unusual behaviors they may have encountered leading up to the incident. This information will aid IT professionals, like the expert team at Fifth Nine, in diagnosing the problem.
While completing steps 1 and 2, also consider the following simple troubleshooting ideas:
Keep a detailed log of the actions your team, as well as your IT support provider, have taken during the incident. Include timestamps, names of the individuals involved, and any communications. This documentation is valuable for future reference, audits, and the prevention or resolution of future outages.
Once your IT support provider has assessed the situation, follow their guidance for recovery steps, which may involve restoring from your backups or reinstalling software.
With Fifth Nine, we’re here with you every step of the way.
Maintaining transparent communication with your team can help manage expectations, reduce worries, and maintain morale. Provide clear updates regarding the status of the system and expected timelines for the resolution.
Chicagoland is a unique and diverse region with a thriving economy. As such, businesses in this area deserve access to the right IT support providers. Here are essential factors to consider when selecting IT support that will ensure operational continuity for your business during IT emergencies:
Prioritize providers with a proven track record in managing emergency situations. Look for experience in various IT crises, such as data breaches, system failures, and cyber attacks.
To help prevent an IT emergency from occurring to your business or for assistance after an emergency does occur, you want an IT support provider that offers a wide range of services. Fifth Nine has comprehensive services that include:
Fifth Nine ensures that your team has the tools and assistance it needs to remain productive. We’re dedicated to making certain that your IT is always up and running, empowering your team to work without interruptions.
When you’re faced with an IT emergency, you’re stressed and need assistance ASAP. Select an IT support provider known for quick response times and efficient resolution of issues. At Fifth Nine, we offer 24/7 remote and on-site support.
Don’t go with IT support that comes from the other side of the country or from overseas. Choose a provider like Fifth Nine–we’re based in Chicago and know the great people of the Chicagoland area. We want businesses in and around Chicago to succeed and to help protect them against IT outages and other IT emergencies.
Book a consultation with Fifth Nine or contact us right away with your IT issues: (888) 847-9272 | info@fifthnine.com
