The 7 Steps to Prevent IT-Caused Outages- A Comprehensive Approach

TABLE
OF CONTENTS
03
04
06
07
08
09
10-11
The seven key steps essential for preventing IT-caused
outages:
1: Establish a Comprehensive Asset Inventory
2: Conduct Regular Risk Assessments
3: Implement Robust Change Management Processes
4: Enhance Monitoring and Alerting Systems
5: Strengthen IT Infrastructure and Redundancy
6: Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning and Improvement
7: Develop and Test Comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plans
Introduction
12
GOOGLE CLOUD OUTAGE, NOVEMBER 2021
Lessons learned from the google cloud outage
Incident Review
16
FACEBOOK OUTAGE, OCTOBER 2021
Lessons Learned from the Facebook Outage
Incident Review
About Protected Harbor
Managed Services Program
Conclusion
19
20-21

02
Introduction
In today's technology-driven world, businesses heavily rely on their IT infrastructure,
making the potential impact of outages significant and far-reaching. Statistics reveal
the alarming effects of IT-caused outages on businesses worldwide. According to a
recent study by Business Wire, IT outages cost companies an estimated $700 billion
annually, with an average outage duration of four hours.
Additionally, our research suggests that 90% of organizations have experienced at least
one IT outage in the past two years, emphasizing the widespread nature of this
problem. These figures underscore the critical need for organizations to implement
proactive measures to prevent IT-caused outages.
To address this pressing issue, we present a comprehensive approach comprising seven
crucial steps to prevent IT-caused outages. These steps encompass a range of
preventive measures that organizations can adopt, from enhancing infrastructure
redundancy to implementing robust monitoring and incident response protocols.
Organizations can significantly minimize the likelihood and impact of IT-caused
outages by implementing these steps.
"In the realm of technology,
where innovation dances with
possibility, occasional outages
serve as a humbling reminder
that even the mightiest systems
are crafted by human hands.
Embrace these temporary
setbacks as catalysts for growth,
for they fortify our resolve to
construct a future where seam-
less connectivity reigns
supreme."
Richard Luna
CEO of Protected Harbor
"Within the realm of technology, we can learn
valuable lessons from two major incidents that
shook the world. One happened in November '21
when Google Cloud experienced an outage; the
other occurred in October '21, affecting Face-
book, Instagram, WhatsApp, and related services.
These incidents showed us the vulnerabilities
and weaknesses in our systems.
By studying them, we can take proactive steps to
prevent future outages. Instead of focusing on
the chaos they caused, let's use them as guides
to make our systems more robust and resilient.
Doing so can create a future where outages are
just minor blips in our journey towards progress."
Organizations require a comprehensive and proactive support system to fortify their IT
infrastructure and prevent outages. The whitepaper concludes with an overview of the
Protected Harbor Managed Services Program.
This program offers a holistic approach to IT infrastructure management, combining
expert guidance, continuous monitoring, and rapid incident response. By leveraging the
capabilities of Protected Harbor, organizations can maintain a resilient IT environment
and prevent costly outages.

03
Let's explore the seven key steps essential for preventing IT-caused outages. These steps
serve as proactive measures to ensure the stability and reliability of IT systems. Once we
have a solid understanding of these preventative measures, we will delve into the
specifics of two incidents, providing valuable lessons learned from each case.
• Importance of Asset Management
Effective asset management is essential for maintaining a stable IT environment. By
clearly understanding all IT assets, organizations can proactively address potential
vulnerabilities, plan for upgrades or replacements, and ensure compliance with
regulatory requirements. Asset management also helps optimize resource allocation
and budgeting, resulting in cost savings and improved operational efficiency.
• Identification and Documentation of IT Assets
The first aspect of establishing an asset inventory is identifying and documenting all IT
assets across the organization. This includes hardware devices, such as servers, routers,
and workstations, as well as software applications and licenses. Conducting a thorough
inventory assessment, considering physical and virtual assets, is crucial to ensure
everything is noticed.
For example, asset management software can be utilized in a large enterprise to scan
the network and automatically collect information about connected devices. This
software can provide detailed reports on hardware specifications, installed software, and
license information, facilitating documentation.
Step 1- Establish a Comprehensive Asset Inventory
In the first step of preventing IT-caused outages, it is crucial to establish a
comprehensive asset inventory. This entails identifying, documenting, and tracking all IT
assets within an organization. Let's explore the importance of asset management and
how it can be implemented effectively.

04
• Tracking and Regular Updates
Once the initial asset inventory is established, it is essential to implement a system for
tracking and regular updates. IT assets are dynamic and can change over time due to
hardware replacements, software upgrades, or new acquisitions. Therefore, maintaining
an up-to-date asset inventory is crucial for effectively managing and mitigating
potential risks.
Organizations can employ asset management tools that enable real-time tracking of
assets and automate the update process. For instance, a cloud-based asset
management system can provide a centralized repository for asset information,allowing
authorized personnel to access and update asset details from anywhere, anytime.
A practical application of comprehensive asset inventory management can be seen in a
ﬁnancial institution. The institution can ensure compliance with regulatory standards
and streamline the audit process by accurately tracking all IT assets, including servers,
network devices, and software licenses. Additionally, it enables proactive monitoring
and maintenance, reducing the risk of unexpected outages and optimizing resource
allocation.
Step 2- Conduct Regular Risk Assessments
Conducting regular risk assessments is crucial in the second step of preventing
IT-caused outages. This involves identifying vulnerabilities and potential risks within an
organization's IT infrastructure. Let's explore the importance of risk assessments and
how they can be implemented effectively.
• Understanding Vulnerabilities and Risks
To effectively prevent outages, organizations must comprehensively understand their IT
infrastructure's vulnerabilities and associated risks. This includes identifying potential
security threats, system weaknesses, and external factors that could impact operations.
By conducting regular risk assessments, organizations can proactively identify and
address potential issues before they escalate into outages.

05
• Mitigating Risks through Effective Controls
The final step in conducting risk assessments is to develop and implement adequate
controls to mitigate identified risks. This involves putting security measures, protocols,
and monitoring mechanisms in place to prevent or minimize potential outages' impact.
Real-life applications of risk mitigation controls can be seen in the aviation industry.
Airlines conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities in their
flight operations systems. To mitigate these risks, they implement redundant systems,
backup power supplies, and continuous monitoring tools to ensure the reliability and
safety of their operations, minimizing the chances of flight delays or cancellations due
to IT failures.
Organizations can proactively identify and mitigate potential risks by conducting
regular risk assessments and implementing effective controls, minimizing the
likelihood of IT-caused outages. Risk assessments provide valuable insights into
vulnerabilities and threats, enabling organizations to prioritize critical systems, allocate
resources effectively, and implement appropriate security measures. These proactive
measures strengthen an organization's IT infrastructure, enhance resilience, and ensure
continuous operations despite potential risks and threats.
For example, in the healthcare industry, a risk assessment might involve identifying
vulnerabilities in electronic health record (EHR) systems, such as outdated software
versions or inadequate access controls. Healthcare organizations can implement
appropriate security measures to protect patient data and prevent system failures by
understanding these vulnerabilities.
• Prioritizing Critical Systems and Processes
Not all IT systems and processes have the same criticality level for an organization's
operations. Prioritizing and focusing on critical systems and processes during risk
assessments is essential. By doing so, organizations can allocate resources and efforts
effectively to mitigate risks with the highest potential impact on their operations.
For instance, a risk assessment might prioritize core banking systems that handle
customer transactions and account management in the banking sector. Identifying
vulnerabilities in these critical systems allows banks to prioritize security updates,
conduct regular penetration testing, and implement robust disaster recovery measures
to prevent disruptions to essential banking services.

06
Step 3- Implement Robust Change Management Processes
Implementing robust change management processes is a crucial step in preventing
IT-related outages. Change management ensures that any changes made to IT systems,
configurations, or software are carefully planned, tested, and implemented without
causing disruptions to the normal functioning of the systems. Here's how it works in
real-life situations:
First, organizations establish clear rules and steps for making changes. These rules help
guide requesting, evaluating, approving, and implementing changes. It's like having a
set of instructions to follow.
Second, thorough testing is done before making any changes. This is like checking if
something works appropriately before you use it. Testing in a controlled environment
can identify and fix any problems or issues before the changes are made live.
Finally, changes are implemented in a way that minimizes any impact on the regular
functioning of the systems. This means choosing the right time to make the changes,
such as when there is less activity, and having backup plans in case something goes
wrong. Communication with the people affected by the changes is essential to manage
their expectations.
For example, in the software industry, companies have transparent processes to
manage updates and releases. They carefully assess and test changes to ensure they
don't introduce bugs or compatibility issues that could cause system failures. In the
telecommunications sector, changes to network infrastructure are tested in simulation
environments to ensure they don't disrupt communication services. Similarly, in e-com-
merce, website changes are scheduled and tested during off-peak hours to avoid
disruptions during busy shopping periods.
Organizations can reduce the risk of IT-related outages by following robust change
management processes. These processes provide a structured approach to handling
changes, ensuring that modifications are implemented smoothly and without causing
disruptions to the systems.

Step 4- Enhance Monitoring and Alerting Systems
Enhancing monitoring and alerting systems is a critical step in preventing IT-caused
outages. By closely monitoring the performance of IT systems and proactively detecting
issues, organizations can take timely actions to avoid potential failures. Let's explore
how this step is applied in real-life situations:
First, organizations implement real-time performance monitoring. This involves
continuously tracking the performance metrics of IT systems, such as response times,
resource utilization, and network traffic. By monitoring these metrics in real time,
organizations can identify any abnormalities or bottlenecks that may indicate a
potential outage. For example, temperature sensors are used in a data center to
monitor the cooling system and ensure that it operates within optimal ranges to
prevent overheating and equipment failures.
Second, proactive alerting mechanisms are put in place. These mechanisms
automatically generate alerts or notifications when predefined thresholds or conditions
are met. This helps IT teams stay informed about potential issues and take immediate
actions to prevent them from escalating. For instance, if the bandwidth usage exceeds a
certain threshold in network infrastructure, an alert is triggered, prompting IT
administrators to investigate and address the issue promptly.
Third, organizations utilize automated monitoring tools. These tools leverage artificial
intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze vast data and identify patterns
or anomalies. By using these tools, IT teams can detect potential issues that may go
unnoticed by manual monitoring alone. For example, automated monitoring tools in a
cloud computing environment can analyze system logs and detect unusual access
patterns that may indicate a security breach.
Real-life applications of enhanced monitoring and alerting systems across various
industries. In the financial sector, banks utilize real-time monitoring to track transaction
processing times and detect any delays or errors that may impact customer
transactions.
07

08
In the healthcare industry, hospitals employ monitoring systems to continuously
monitor critical medical devices and patient data, ensuring timely interventions and
preventing disruptions in patient care. Similarly, e-commerce platforms utilize
automated monitoring tools to track website performance, identify performance
bottlenecks, and address them promptly to provide a seamless online shopping
experience.
Organizations can proactively identify and address potential issues by implementing
robust monitoring and alerting systems before they escalate into outages. These
systems enable IT teams to stay informed, take prompt actions, and ensure the
uninterrupted functioning of critical IT systems.
Step 5- Strengthen IT Infrastructure and Redundancy
To prevent IT-caused outages, it is crucial to have a strong and resilient IT infrastructure.
Infrastructure strengthening involves assessing and upgrading hardware and software
components, implementing redundant systems and network architecture, and
ensuring scalability and flexibility. Let's explore these steps with real-life applications
and examples:
• Assessing and Upgrading Hardware and Software
Organizations need to assess and upgrade their hardware and software regularly. This
includes evaluating the performance and capacity of servers, storage devices,
networking equipment, and other infrastructure components.
Upgrading outdated or inadequate hardware and software helps prevent performance
bottlenecks and potential failures. For instance, a company experiencing slow website
load times may upgrade its servers and optimize its database to handle increased user
traffic efficiently.

09
• Implementing Redundant Systems and Network Architecture
Implementing redundant systems and network architecture is essential. Redundancy
involves having backup systems or components that can take over in case of a failure.
This redundancy can be achieved through redundant servers, network links, power
supplies, or data backups. For example, data centers often have redundant power
sources, such as uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and backup generators, to
ensure continuous power supply in case of a power outage.
• Ensuring Scalability and Flexibility
Organizations should ensure scalability and flexibility in their IT infrastructure. Scalability
allows the infrastructure to handle increased demands or sudden spikes in user activity
without causing disruptions. This can be achieved through technologies like cloud
computing, which can scale resources up or down as needed. For instance, an
e-commerce website that experiences high traffic during seasonal sales events can
scale its infrastructure resources to handle the increased workload efficiently.
By strengthening the IT infrastructure and implementing redundancy, organizations
can minimize the risk of outages caused by hardware or software failures, network
issues, or unexpected surges in demand. These measures enhance the IT systems'
reliability, performance, and resilience, ensuring business continuity and customer
satisfaction.
Step 6- Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning and
Improvement
To prevent IT outages, it is crucial to cultivate a culture where learning and
improvement are at the forefront. This involves implementing training and skill
development programs to enhance the knowledge and capabilities of your IT team.
They can stay updated with the latest technologies and best practices by providing the
necessary resources and opportunities to expand their skills.

10
Conducting incident post-mortems and root cause analysis is crucial. When an outage
or failure occurs, it is essential to investigate and understand the underlying reasons.
This process helps identify any gaps or weaknesses in your systems or processes,
allowing you to make improvements and prevent similar incidents in the future.
For example, if a software bug caused an outage, the post-mortem analysis can
highlight the need for better testing protocols or code review practices.
Encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members is another
vital aspect. By creating an environment where individuals can freely exchange ideas
and insights, you harness the collective wisdom of your team. Real-life scenarios, such as
organizing regular knowledge-sharing sessions or establishing internal forums for
discussion, can facilitate sharing lessons learned, best practices, and innovative ideas.
An example of fostering a continuous learning and improvement culture is
implementing a regular training program for IT staff on emerging security threats. This
ensures they have the necessary skills and knowledge to identify and mitigate potential
risks. Additionally, conducting incident post-mortems after a signiﬁcant outage helps
identify areas for improvement, such as enhancing backup systems or implementing
better monitoring tools.
By prioritizing continuous learning and improvement, you empower your IT team to
proactively address challenges, adapt to changes, and optimize your IT infrastructure to
minimize the risk of outages and ensure smooth operations.
Step 7- Develop and Test Comprehensive Disaster Recovery
Plans
To safeguard against IT outages, it is crucial to have well-deﬁned and regularly tested
disaster recovery plans in place. This involves creating robust strategies to handle
potential disruptions and minimize their impact on your business operations.

11
Firstly, it is essential to develop comprehensive disaster recovery strategies that outline
the steps and procedures to be followed during an outage or disaster. This includes
identifying critical systems and data, determining recovery time (RTOs) and recovery
point objectives (RPOs), and establishing backup and restoration processes. Real-life
examples of disaster recovery strategies include setting up off-site data backups,
implementing redundant systems, and leveraging cloud-based disaster recovery
services.
Regular testing and simulation exercises are vital to ensure the effectiveness of your
disaster recovery plans. By simulating different outage scenarios and testing the
recovery procedures, you can identify gaps or weaknesses in your strategies and
make necessary improvements.
This testing can involve conducting mock drills, simulating system failures, or even
performing full-scale recovery exercises. Real-life application of this step includes
performing periodic disaster recovery tests to validate the recovery process and ensure
that all critical systems and personnel are prepared for any potential disruptions.
Documenting and updating your recovery plans is also crucial. As your IT infrastructure
evolves and new technologies emerge, keeping your disaster recovery plans up to date
is essential. This involves documenting all recovery procedures, including contact
information, system configurations, and step-by-step instructions.
Additionally, regularly reviewing and updating these plans is vital to reflect any changes
in your IT environment or business processes. Real-life scenarios for documentation and
updates can include maintaining an accessible and centralized repository for recovery
plans, assigning responsible individuals for plan maintenance, and conducting periodic
reviews to incorporate lessons learned from previous incidents.
By developing and regularly testing comprehensive disaster recovery plans, you can
minimize downtime, protect critical data, and ensure a swift and effective response to IT
outages or disasters. This step is crucial for maintaining business continuity and
minimizing potential disruptions' financial and reputational impact.

12
INCIDENT REVIEW: GOOGLE CLOUD OUTAGE, NOVEMBER 2021
In November 2021, Google Cloud experienced a signiﬁcant outage that impacted
numerous websites and services. The incident resulted in widespread disruption for end
users and highlighted the complexity of managing and resolving such technical issues.
During the outage, users attempting to access various websites encountered a 404
error page associated with the Google bot. This unexpected behavior caused confusion
and frustration among users, who attempted to reload pages and tried different URL
variations, resulting in the same error.
From a technical standpoint, there were initial speculations about the cause of the
outage. Some users considered potential issues with Google's Public DNS or a new
feature implementation that redirected non-resolvable domains to Google's IP.
However, these theories were quickly ruled out as the root cause.
To investigate the situation further, affected users turned to several other platforms,
namely other monitoring and testing service. Through this platform, it became evident
that multiple websites were experiencing the same error message, and all were Google
Cloud customers. This indicated that the problem lay within Google's cloud
infrastructure.
Despite users seeking information on Google's status page, no updates were initially
posted. It took approximately thirty minutes from the start of the issues for any
information to be provided on the status page.
This incident highlights the complexity and impact of outages on users and the
importance of timely communication and resolution. It also emphasizes the need for
robust incident response strategies and effective communication channels to minimize
user disruptions during such technical incidents.

The Google Cloud outage in November 2021 had varying impacts on different Google
Cloud services, resulting in customer disruptions and issues across multiple regions.
Here are some additional details regarding the specific services affected:
13
1. Google App Engine: Experienced a significant
decrease in traffic by approximately 80% in central parts of
the U.S. and Western Europe. This decrease in traffic
impacted the availability and accessibility of applications
hosted on Google App Engine.
2. Google Cloud Networking: Customers of
Google Cloud Networking needed help making changes
to website load balancing. This led to the appearance of
404 error pages when users tried to access affected
websites.
3. Google Cloud Functions: Users utilizing Google
Cloud Functions faced disruptions and potential unavailability
during the outage. Google Cloud Functions is a serverless
computing service offered by Google Cloud.
4. Google Cloud Run: Customers using Google
Cloud Run, which allows for the deployment and scaling
of containers, experienced issues, and potential service
interruptions.
5. Google App Engine Flex: Similar to Google
App Engine, Google App Engine Flex, which provides a
flexible and scalable platform for running applications,
was impacted, leading to service disruptions.

14
6. Apigee: Apigee, an API management platform
provided by Google Cloud, was affected during the
outage. This likely impacted the functionality and
availability of APIs utilizing the Apigee platform.
7. Firebase: Customers using Firebase, a mobile and
web development platform, also experienced disruptions
and service issues due to the Google Cloud outage.
The breadth of services impacted during the incident
underscores the widespread nature of the outage and its
impact on various Google Cloud customers relying on
these services for their applications, networking, APIs, and
other functionalities.
GOOGLE Responds to Incident
Google Cloud issued an apology for the service outage and acknowledged the
inconvenience it caused its customers. The root cause of the incident, as stated
on the organization's status page, was attributed to “a latent bug in a network
conﬁguration service that was triggered during a leader election charge.” To
prevent similar issues in the future, Google Cloud has implemented two
safeguards for enhanced protection.
This recent outage, amidst a year of similar incidents, highlights the signiﬁcant
impact a public cloud vendor outage can have downstream. It also emphasizes
the vulnerability of enterprises to third-party vendor outages. Many businesses
heavily rely on the public Internet, services, and infrastructure to operate and
deliver digital experiences to their clients. While there are advantages to this
reliance, the challenge lies in the fact that these organizations need more control
over the underlying infrastructure that supports their operations.

15
Three key lessons learned from the google cloud outage that can
be applied to your own business:
Don't assume users will ﬁnd your status page or rely on social media for updates.
Create a custom error page that reﬂects your brand, apologizes for the failure, and
provides clear messaging.
Make the error page engaging and relatable to end users to maintain a positive
impression.
Lesson 1: Communicate clearly with end users through proper error pages.
Lesson 2: Implement comprehensive observability outside your environment.
Use an IPM (Infrastructure Performance Monitoring) approach to monitor
services outside your cloud or data center.
Don't solely rely on code tracing and logs; have a broader view of your services.
Proactively observe your services and the infrastructure providers you rely on to
identify issues before they impact your users.
Lesson 3: Track service-level agreements (SLAs) and mean time to resolution
(MTTR).
Monitor the performance of your teams and providers in resolving issues.
Build trust by holding them accountable and verifying their actions.
Utilize real-time data from independent monitoring and observability solutions to
accurately track the impact of issues and understand their duration.
By applying these lessons, you can enhance communication with users, ensure
proactive monitoring, and track the effectiveness of issue resolution, thereby
improving the reliability and trustworthiness of your services.

16
INCIDENT REVIEW: FACEBOOK OUTAGE, OCTOBER 2021
The popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and
Oculus VR faced an unprecedented situation on Monday, October 4th, when they all
went down simultaneously for a signiﬁcant duration. The outage began before 16:00 UTC
and lasted until approximately 21:05 UTC, causing inconvenience to users
worldwide.
Users trying to access these platforms encountered error messages during this period
instead. However, things gradually started returning to normal after 21:05 UTC.
The incident sparked discussions on social media about the signiﬁcance of these
platforms in our lives. It raised questions about the potential risks of relying heavily on a
single technological platform that can experience global failures.
In simpler terms, it was an unusual event where popular social networks like Facebook,
Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Oculus VR stopped working worldwide for
several hours. This outage made people realize how much we depend on these
platforms and the risks involved when such a dominant technology experiences
widespread issues.
"We know how much people and businesses depend on us to stay connected
daily. We recognize the impact that outages, like the one experienced today,
have on people's lives, and we take our responsibility seriously in keeping
everyone informed about service disruptions. We apologize to all those affected,
and our team is actively investigating the incident to understand better what
occurred. Our goal is to strengthen our infrastructure to enhance its resilience
continuously."
Facebook Responds to Incident
Santosh Janardhan, VP, Infrastructure, Facebook

17
During the occurrence of 503 errors, speciﬁc HTTP headers were
observed. These headers included information such as the HTTP/2
503 response code, indicating a service unavailable status.
Access-control-allow-origin: The access-control-allow-origin header allowed
requests from any origin.
Content-length: 2959 The content-length header indicated the size of the
response content, which was 2959 bytes.
Content-type: text/html; and charset=utf-8 - The content-type header speciﬁed
that the content was in HTML format with a character encoding of UTF-8.
Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2021 16:48:36 GMT - The date header indicated the timestamp
of the response.
Proxy-status: no_server_available - The proxy-status header indicated that no
server was available to handle the request then.
These headers provided insights into the nature and details of the 503 errors
experienced.
Lesson Learned from the Facebook Outage: Transparency and Recovery
In a recent analysis, the Facebook team provided valuable insights into the cause of the
outage on October 5, 2021. Contrary to initial speculations, the incident did not result
from DNS or BGP issues. Instead, it stemmed from a routine maintenance task
performed by Facebook staff. This task was intended to assess the availability of their
global backbone network.
Unfortunately, this routine job had unintended consequences, disrupting their
backbone connections. As a result, Facebook routers could not communicate with their
data centers. The BGP routes to their DNS servers were withdrawn from the network to
ensure safety.

18
It is worth appreciating the Facebook team for their swift recovery efforts and, most
notably, their transparency in sharing the details of the incident. This incident serves as
a reminder of the importance of open communication and taking responsibility for
technological failures.
The speed of detecting and addressing an outage is crucial. It is important to have
well-defined runbooks or procedures to guide the response during such incidents. It is
also necessary to ensure that your systems are designed in a way that prevents
dependencies. For example, the systems employees use to fix issues should rely on
something other than the same infrastructure they are trying to fix.
In situations like these, troubleshooting can be complex. In the case of Facebook, the
initial symptoms were related to HTTP and DNS errors, which eventually affected the
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).
In simpler terms, it is vital to identify and resolve outages quickly. Having clear
instructions (runbooks) for handling such situations is essential. Additionally, it is crucial
to design systems to prevent dependencies, such as ensuring that the tools used for
fixing issues are not reliant on the same infrastructure that needs fixing.
Troubleshooting during these incidents is often more complex. In the case of Facebook,
the problems initially appeared as errors related to web and network services, but they
eventually impacted the routing protocol used for directing internet traffic (BGP).

19
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provide comprehensive training, seamless onboarding assistance, and invaluable best
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Our team seamlessly integrates with yours, offering regular KPI updates and identifying
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"By partnering with us, you can confidently navigate the complex IT landscape,
knowing that we are dedicated to preventing and mitigating IT outages. Togeth-
er, we will build resilient infrastructure and proactively address vulnerabilities,
ensuring uninterrupted business operations. Trust us to be your strategic ally in
the journey towards a robust and outage-free IT environment."
RICHARD LUNA
CEO of Protected Harbor

20
CONCLUSION
IT outages can happen unexpectedly and have significant consequences for businesses.
In today's digital landscape, where reliance on cloud services and the internet is high,
it's crucial to be prepared for downtime or performance issues. Whether the problem
arises from technical faults, misconfigurations, cloud providers, or internet service
providers, understanding the source of the issue and how to respond is essential to
minimize damage.
Deep visibility into your IT infrastructure and digital experience is vital to address IT
outages effectively. With a Performance Monitoring platform explicitly designed for
Managed IT Services, you can proactively identify and resolve issues promptly while
improving your future response.
As you develop your IT and Internet Resilience strategy, ensure that your visibility
perspective covers all critical areas. This includes monitoring internal networks, cloud
providers, workforce productivity, BGP routing, and global CDN traffic optimization. By
gathering comprehensive data, you can swiftly respond to issues, communicate
effectively with your customers, and hold your service providers accountable for
meeting their SLAs. You can seek compensation, switch providers, or enhance failover
options if necessary.
IT Outage Preparedness is no longer just an option; it has become a business imperative
for Managed IT Services in 2023. By embracing a proactive approach and leveraging the
proper monitoring tools, you can minimize the impact of IT outages and ensure
uninterrupted operations for your clients.
Taking a holistic approach to IT-caused outage prevention brings numerous
advantages. It minimizes the financial costs and reputational damage associated with
downtime and increases productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business
resilience. By proactively addressing potential risks and continuously improving your IT
infrastructure and processes, you can position your business for long-term success in
the digital era.

21
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We believe in customized approaches, not one-size-ﬁts-all solutions. We begin by
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