Was your company affected by the Crowdstrike incident? If you were among the users of some of the 8.5 million Windows devices that experienced the Blue Screen of Death, any memory of that day is probably making you shudder with anxiety. Unfortunately, such situations will probably happen more often.
Can we somehow prepare for accidental errors that lead to IT outages? Is modern technology turning from an ally into a business enemy? Read our recommendations to build a future-proof IT infrastructure to protect your business during unplanned downtimes.
The Increasing Role of Digital Transformation in Business and Everyday Life
The IT market is growing annually. Data centers are expanding the fastest, with growth estimated at as much as 34.7% in 2024. 2025 will bring “only” 15.5% growth. Software spending is expected to grow by 14% in 2025. Significant amounts of money go to AI-based software, penetrating more and more business areas.
While it’s the most talked about, generative Artificial Intelligence is not the focus of business. In addition to generating images and text in seconds, CIOs interviewed by Gartner indicate many other advances in AI. Groundbreaking inventions include hybrid computing, post-quantum cryptography, polyfunctional robots, disinformation security, and neurological enhancement. All the above are putting more and more responsibility in the hands of machines and making growing corporate fortunes dependent on them.
Current IT Infrastructure Threats
Cloud computing has revolutionized the approach to storing resources and using software. However, with the benefits of cloud technology, the threats that previously existed locally have not disappeared. Hyperscalers store the data of thousands of companies. While they guarantee top-notch security, any problem with Amazon, Google, or any other global service provider means outages and failures at companies worldwide. For example, a DDoS attack on Microsoft in July 2024 disrupted thousands of Microsoft 365 users for nearly 10 hours.
Threats also have a good side. They motivate security specialists to create even better safeguards. And failed software updates to schedule them for days other than Fridays. Should the likelihood of global problems be included in the cost of any company relying on hyperscalers? Or is it better to invest in safeguards and implement procedures to minimize problems with new technologies?
Building a Future-Proof Infrastructure – Best Practices
You won’t be able to predict future failures. However, you will deal with their effects more easily by preparing for all contingencies. Discover what to consider while future-proofing your IT infrastructure.
Analyze the Risks
Have you experienced downtimes in the past? How did you deal with them? If you’ve had a lot of luck and IT outages haven’t affected you so far, you probably have deployed high-level security measures. Ensure all your safeguards are up-to-date, and see if you can add new components.
Provide Backup and Disaster Recovery
Business owners are divided into two groups – those who do backup and those who are about to start doing it. The second group usually decides to back up after all critical data has been destroyed or stolen in a cyberattack.
To get back to normal operations ASAP and not lose the information you need to run your business, implement regular backups in your company and set up disaster recovery processes.
Review Your Employees’ Skill Level
Bringing new technologies into your company should go hand in hand with developing your employees’ skills. This also applies to the cloud, which should be monitored by a FinOps team to control financial issues.
According to Flexera’s report, expertise gaps rank as the 3rd biggest challenge in deploying cloud services to companies. As many as 78% of respondents cited knowledge deficiencies in working with cloud solutions. Only 51% of organizations surveyed have a FinOps team in place to manage optimizing cloud spending.
Is Your Tech Stack Downtime Resistant? Check It Out
High levels of security, regular backups, disaster recovery, and well-trained employees are invaluable in minimizing the unpleasant consequences of failure at hyperscalers. But before you use cloud services, verify your technology stack. Are you already working with cloud solutions? No worries!
Tech Solutions Compatibility
Start by reviewing your infrastructure for legacy systems. Review available applications and see if the code version is still up-to-date. If not, plan an upgrade of outdated technologies.
One of the most vital qualities of cloud solutions is high scalability. So, make sure your systems will scale easily as your needs grow. Change existing technologies to scalable custom software solutions.
Consider whether integrating your existing infrastructure with new solutions will cause a major crash. Prepare a test environment to help you prepare before introducing new solutions to your business. Software upgrades shouldn’t negatively affect your customers.
Cost Optimization and Sustainability
Lack of funds can also lead to problems and downtime. How? You need to be able to flexibly scale without blowing the budget. Your development should also not generate a massive environmental impact. Older technological solutions can suddenly cause costly problems or negatively affect sustainability efforts.
Preparing for Tomorrow: Scalo Future-Proofing Technology Solutions
We can’t predict the future. Therefore, our article provides valuable tips to help you prepare for unpleasant situations in which little will depend on you.
Want to effectively future-ready your IT infrastructure? Scalo specialists will help you prepare to minimize the adverse effects. Reach out to us and get a plan designed to avoid the adverse impact of downtimes.
