--- title: "Network Failures: 10 Ways You Can Avoid Mishaps and Manage Risk" description: Learn how you can avoid network mishaps image: https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/networkoutage_57f26e4fbff5c%20(1).jpg --- ### Search engine Use this form to find things you need on this site Search × [![We're better together.](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/Tech_Networks_of_Boston_June2018/Images/Logo_without_motto-copy-web.png)](https://techboston.com) - [About TNB](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/) - [Overview](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/) - [Annual Report](https://techboston.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-Benefit-Report.pdf) - [Mission](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/mission/) - [Partnerships and Affiliations](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/partnerships/) - [Certifications & Awards](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/certifications-awards/) - [Blog](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/blog/) - [Free Resources](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/resources/) - [Job Opportunities](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/careers/) - [Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/services-overview/) - [Overview](https://techboston.com/our-services/services-overview/) - [Integrated Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/integrated/) - [Managed Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/managed-services-2/) - [Project Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/project-services/) - [Case Studies](https://techboston.com/case-studies/) - [Using IT to Increase Productivity and Reduce Costs](https://techboston.com/case-studies/increase-productivity/) - [Updating Technology for Growing Needs](https://techboston.com/case-studies/updating-technology/) - [Shifting to Remote Work in the Midst of a Crisis](https://techboston.com/case-studies/remote-work/) - [Protecting Your Organization in the Wake of Cybercrime](https://techboston.com/case-studies/cybercrime/) - [Integrating Technology for Mission Driven Success](https://techboston.com/case-studies/integrated-technology-success/) - [Events](https://techboston.com/events/) - [Upcoming Events](https://techboston.com/events/) - [Past Roundtable Events](https://techboston.com/past-roundtable-events/) - [TNB’s Dialogue Series on Nonprofit Data and Evaluation](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/blog/best-practices-data-evaluation/) - [Contact Us](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/) - [Home](https://techboston.com/) - [About Us](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/) - [2022 Annual Report](https://techboston.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-Benefit-Report.pdf) - [Blog](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/blog/) - [Certifications & Awards](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/certifications-awards/) - [Case Studies](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/case-studies/) - [Job Opportunities](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/careers/) - [Mission](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/mission/) - [Partnerships and Affiliations](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/partnerships/) - [Events](https://techboston.com/events/) - [Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/) - [Contact Us](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/) # Network Failures: 10 Ways You Can Avoid Mishaps and Manage Risk [Home](https://techboston.com) / Network Failures: 10 Ways You Can Avoid Mishaps and Manage Risk Return to Previous Page [![image-1](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/networkoutage_57f26e4fbff5c%20(1).jpg)](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/networkoutage_57f26e4fbff5c%20(1).jpg) [View large](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/networkoutage_57f26e4fbff5c%20(1).jpg) [Tech Tips](https://blog.techboston.com/tag/tech-tips), [Food For Thought](https://blog.techboston.com/tag/food-for-thought) ### Network Failures: 10 Ways You Can Avoid Mishaps and Manage Risk ***By Eric Harris, IT Director, Tech Networks of Boston***   The network is down! These four words can set off panic attacks in the workplace. Workers and managers stress about missed deadlines, and IT leaders scramble to figure out the problem and fix it. Network failures do happen. But they don’t have to be regular occurrences. Here are 10 examples of why networks fail and what you as an IT leader can do to make sure they don’t keep happening in the future. **1 - ISP outages** Connections to major internet service providers go down every now and then. There’s really nothing you can do about an individual connection but grin and bear it. What you can do is get a “redundant ISP” – a networking device or load balancer. It may be as simple as a firewall with WAN failover function. Getting a secondary service doesn’t have to be expensive. Sign up for a service where you pay ad hoc, per event, and your network devices would automatically failover in a heartbeat. **2 – Power issues** Sometimes a weak power link to a data facility can cause voltages to fluctuate and lead to an outage. This is tricky one to manage. It’s next to impossible to strong-arm utilities, but you can negotiate with the utility to bring in a new line or a redundant line. Another option is to simply have a back-up plan to move the data center in the event of an outage. A local data can provide redundant power and AC on a warrantee basis. **3 – Hardware glitches** If you’re holding onto old equipment stuff that’s beyond its expected life span, chances are it won’t have vendor support. The solution: **Keep your components current. Make sure you have your warrantees up to date.** Vendors have service packages offering four-hour turnarounds to get devices repaired with new parts and back on line. **4 – Human factors** Maybe it’s not the equipment’s fault. Maybe it was installed wrong or not properly maintained. Maybe the skillsets don’t match the needs for a technical environment. There isn’t a quick-fix solution to this issue other than to make sure you’re diligent in your processes. If you may have a team you’re happy with, assign responsibilities in a better way. If you have to outsource, make sure you can ask pointed questions to ensure you’re getting the right team for the job. The more you know as an HR administrators, the better. **5 – No redundancies built into the architecture** This should be standard operating procedure. If you buy a server, you’ll want to have dual power supplies and a redundant disk. Redundant network links are also really important. This gives you the ability to hedge against the failure of one switch that’s servicing the servers. **6 – Configuration errors in equipment** If equipment is configured incorrectly, bottlenecks can occur and the network can experience generally poor performance. To avoid this, document all the changes you make and plan to make. Try to make configuration changes that are reversible. Document all the steps and keep communication lines open with all the technicians working on the job. **7 – Not updating with patches** This happens more often than not. Make sure you update all patches in a timely manner – especially network changes regarding [security](https://blog.techboston.com/8-it-security-tips-you-need-to-know). Attacks are coming faster and quicker. There’s no excuse for not staying current with regular upgrades technology suppliers provide. **8 – Cooling failures** When summer comes around, technology equipment can overheat and shut down. Cooling should be a priority all year round, but never more than in the summer. Be mindful of the air flow in your server room. Buy a standalone AC unit that’s water cooled, or at the very least make sure you have fans blowing air around. Experts can configure more elaborate cooling systems if overheating becomes a regular issue. **9 – A mis-sized network link** Underestimating the load in your network could lead to outages. It could be in your wifi set-up or in the core infrastructure in your data center. You could have all of your clients trying to connect into resources and have too much network traffic trying to squeeze through a too-small link. To guard against this, find the proper tools to simulate network flows. There are also online calculators you can put in to determine what would happen in the event of a peak flow. **10- Trying to make too many changes at once** Changing one aspect of a network is complicated enough. If you make several changes at once, you raise the risk of a component reacting negatively. Exercise caution. Keep changes minimal and do them in bite-sized projects. If one change works, move onto the next one. **Conclusion** As you can see from this list, there are plenty of culprits that can bring networks down. To keep outages to a minimum, you need to be informed about potential issues and exercise common sense. Communicate with your staff, and make sure you’re all working together to fend off network problems. If you need help, reach out to a managed service provider or another expert in network functions. Does your organization have a disaster recovery plan in place for if a network outage were to occur? Use this [helpful cheat sheet](https://techboston.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Disaster-Recovery-Plan-Cheat-Sheet.pdf) to develop a disaster recover plan for your business. Do you have a network failure story? How did you deal with it, and what did you learn?   Share Post - - - - - [mailto:?body=https://blog.techboston.com/network-failures-10-ways-can-avoid-mishaps-manage-risk](mailto:?body=https://blog.techboston.com/network-failures-10-ways-can-avoid-mishaps-manage-risk) [Previous](https://blog.techboston.com/four-cloud-mistakes-can-impact-business) [![](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/onedrive-illo3.jpg) Four Cloud Mistakes That Can Impact Your Business](https://blog.techboston.com/four-cloud-mistakes-can-impact-business) [Next](https://blog.techboston.com/grant-makers-nonprofit-grant-recipients-can-great-things-together-data-evaluation) [![](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/analysis-blackboard-board-355952.jpg) How grant makers and recipients can do great things with data](https://blog.techboston.com/grant-makers-nonprofit-grant-recipients-can-great-things-together-data-evaluation) #### RELATED POSTS Tech Tips [![Training Your Staff on New Tools](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/training%20your%20staff.png?width=387&name=training%20your%20staff.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/training-your-staff-on-new-tools) #### Training Your Staff on New Tools July 28, 2022 at 10:26 AM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … Tech Tips , IT security [![The Benefits of 24/7 Monitoring and Reporting](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/24_7%20monitoring.png?width=387&name=24_7%20monitoring.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/the-benefits-of-24/7-monitoring-and-reporting) #### The Benefits of 24/7 Monitoring and Reporting February 18, 2021 at 04:23 PM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … Tech Tips , Uncategorized #### 4 ways your small business can embrace innovation June 12, 2019 at 11:20 AM by Ashley Fontes … Tech Tips , Security awareness [![How Your Nonprofit Can Manage Data Breaches and Minimize Risk](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CyberSecurity.png?width=387&name=CyberSecurity.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/how-your-nonprofit-can-manage-data-breaches-and-minimize-risk) #### How Your Nonprofit Can Manage Data Breaches and Minimize Risk May 17, 2019 at 06:37 PM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … ### Leave a Reply [![updatedblogad](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/updatedblogad.png?width=312&name=updatedblogad.png)](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/)                    ### Contact Us 1 Wadleigh Place South Boston, MA 02127 Phone: 617.269.0299 Fax: 888.527.9333 ### GET UPDATES ### Resources [Server Failure and Recovery](https://techboston.com/resources/server-failure/) [Plan a Successful Email Migration to the Cloud](https://techboston.com/resources/email-migration/) [How to Align Your Staff on Technology Use and Policies](https://techboston.com/resources/technology-policies/) [Data Loss and Recovery: A Guide](https://techboston.com/resources/data-loss-recovery/) [Assess Your IT Needs: Is an MSP Right For You?](https://techboston.com/resources/assess-it/) [IT Audits and Assessments: What Are They Good For?](https://techboston.com/resources/it-audits-assessments/) [The Right Time to Change Your MSP](https://techboston.com/resources/change-msp/) [Privacy Policy](https://techboston.com/privacy-policy/) © 2021 Tech Networks of Boston