To ensure IT service availability, monitor your systems, reduce points of failure, and prepare for disaster recovery. For an SME in Geneva, this involves identifying the services to be restored as a priority and the acceptable time frame. Here's how monitoring, high availability, business continuity and backups contribute to this goal.
Key Points
- Identify the services whose shutdown is blocking work, then set their order of recovery.
- High availability is based on an appropriate architecture, supplemented by incident preparedness.
- Track alerts, average repair time, and outage frequency to target improvements.
- Set recovery goals, simulate outages, and test backup recovery.
Table of contents
IT availability: how to ensure your services 24/7?
To compare managed IT services in Switzerland, examine the scope of commitments, hours of coverage and terms of intervention provided for in the contract. To prevent outages, schedule maintenance, track alerts, apply updates, and test procedures regularly.
High availability in the cloud
In the cloud, high availability relies on an infrastructure designed to maintain access to a service when a component encounters a problem. The supplier manages part of the environment, but the SME must also check its applications, its access and their dependencies on the local network. This distinction is essential when hosted software supports daily operations.
For example, an agency may access its online reservation system, but lose access if the office network goes down. So evaluate the service as employees use it, and not just the condition of the hosting. Also specify the tasks that are the responsibility of the supplier and those that remain the responsibility of your company.
High availability and disaster recovery
High availability aims to maintain service during a limited failure, while disaster recovery organizes the return of activities after a major incident. This distinction helps identify readiness gaps: a fallback mechanism can maintain an application without covering the loss of an entire environment.
An SME can, for example, continue to use its management tool despite an equipment breakdown, while providing a separate procedure if access to premises or data is interrupted. Define priority activities, possible temporary solutions, and who is responsible for deciding when teams should use them.
Costs of downtime and high availability
The cost of an interruption depends on the blocked tasks, the accumulated delays and the time needed to resume work. A SMEs that loses access to its ordering software may have to process requests manually and then reenter the information once service is restored. The charge varies depending on the duration of the incident and the importance of the service affected.
High availability measures also mobilize resources for design, maintenance and testing. They are relevant when maintaining the service justifies this effort. Evaluate the operational cost of a backup solution by comparing it to the tasks the team would have to interrupt or otherwise perform in the event of an outage.
Resilient infrastructure, architecture and network
Resilient infrastructure limits dependencies to a single component and plans how to maintain services if one element fails. For your SME, identify the links between the Internet connection, the router, the firewall, the internal network and the applications. This view helps identify local incidents that may interrupt multiple tools at the same time.
The measurements must correspond to the uses. A trustee who depends on hosted software can check the access path from her workstations and plan a procedure if her connection is cut. Network segmentation and filtering of external connections also help limit the effects of a problem. The needs ofIT infrastructure and services vary depending on the applications and access used.
How does high availability work in cloud computing?
In the cloud, high availability combines redundancy, monitoring and failover mechanisms to limit interruptions. For an SME, the MTTR and MTBF indicators help evaluate the maintenance and reliability of services.
Maintainability and average repair time
MTTR, or mean time to repair, measures the average time it takes to restore a system after a failure. It helps evaluate its maintainability, in other words the ease with which a team can diagnose and resolve a problem. A high MTTR signals lengthy interventions that prolong interruptions for users.
To calculate MTTR, add the response times, then divide the total by the number of outages. An SME can, for example, compare the MTTR of its file server across several incidents. Documented procedures, available access and training of responsible people influence the repair time.
Real-time monitoring and automated alerts
Real-time monitoring tracks service status and performance, then automatically reports anomalies. It can spot storage saturation or an unresponsive application before employees report the problem. Alerts must identify the service concerned and transmit useful information to the person responsible for the intervention.
In an SMEs, a disk space alert can trigger a check before backups fail. Also distinguish an isolated anomaly from an incident that blocks work. Thresholds adapted to uses avoid unnecessary alerts and facilitate prioritization.
Reliability and mean time between failures
MTBF, or mean time between failures, measures the average operating time between two failures. A high MTBF indicates that a piece of equipment or service breaks down less often. This indicator helps identify components involved in recurring incidents, but does not alone predict the next failure.
To calculate MTBF, add up the operating periods between failures, then divide the total by their number. Scheduled shutdowns are excluded. An SME can compare the network equipment in its office to guide maintenance. The MTBF complements the MTTR: the first provides information on the frequency of breakdowns, the second on their average resolution time.
Uptime targets and downtime
An availability objective expresses the portion of time a service must operate and remain accessible. A goal of 99.99% is common for a high availability system; a target of three nines corresponds to 45 minutes of downtime per month. Uptime is calculated by dividing uptime, minus downtime, by planned uptime.
An SLA contractually defines a level of service. The GTR, or restoration time guarantee, sets the maximum duration provided for in the contract to restore service. The GTI measures the time before the start of the first interventions. Compare these commitments, their coverage times and their exclusions, then evaluate them according to the impact of a breakdown on your activities.
To clarify the objectives applicable to your services, you can discuss your availability needs.
Monitoring of IT services, infrastructures and applications
Monitoring measures whether services remain accessible and spots anomalies before they disrupt work. To assess their availability, track uptime, SLA commitments, MTTR, and MTBF. Together, these indicators illuminate the level of service, the duration of interruptions and their frequency.
Tracking services and applications
IT monitoring observes servers, network and applications to detect performance or access issues. It is particularly useful when several services depend on the same infrastructure, for example in a Geneva trust where accounting, shared documents and emails are used every day.
Choose what to monitor based on their effect on operations: application availability, storage space, network access, or server status. An alert related to accounting software deserves a different priority than a warning about a secondary tool. Automating controls helps detect these discrepancies; the procedures must then specify who receives the alert and how to handle the incident.
Measure availability by service, not just at the server level. A server may be running while the application remains inaccessible due to a network or authentication problem. So monitor the actual user journey, from login to opening the document or application.
Definition and measurement of availability
IT availability refers to the proportion of time a system operates and remains accessible. To choose the indicators to measure, associate the availability rate with the SLA, the MTTR and the MTBF: the SLA formalizes the expected level of service, while the technical measurements provide information on interruptions and breakdowns.
A rate alone does not describe the entire user experience. An application may have good overall availability while experiencing repeated interruptions during peak times. View incident periods and affected services. An SME can compare this data to complaints received, then adjust its maintenance priorities.
Monitoring also concerns operational systems, sometimes called OT, which control physical equipment. Their convergence with IT must be carefully examined: a breakdown of the office network should not disrupt a production process. Geistlich Pharma's IT and OT architectures take into account ISA 99, IEC 62443, GxP and ISO 27001; these references illustrate requirements specific to its context, not a universal recipe for each SME.
Permanent availability of information
Information availability means authorized users can access the data they need when their business requires it. Redundant and automatic backups help protect access to information, but do not replace application monitoring or access control.
In a law firm, for example, a shared document can be properly stored but still remain inaccessible if the authentication service is down. So track the status of storage separately from that of the applications that consult the data. Also review access rights and activity logs to limit the risk of unauthorized access.
For an SME that processes sensitive data, security and availability must be planned together. In Switzerland, the data protection law (FADP) governs the protection of personal data. Internal controls may include access, record keeping and resumption of services. Regular auditing helps spot missed dependencies before an incident blocks access to information.
Continuity of activities and qualification of installations
A continuity plan specifies how to maintain priority activities when an IT service is interrupted. To be useful, it must relate risks to available resources and alternatives.
Business continuity plans and tests
A business continuity plan describes the actions to be taken to continue priority tasks during an incident. It identifies the necessary services, the people responsible, the sources of information and the means of contact. A Geneva SME can, for example, plan how to record appointments if its management software becomes inaccessible.
Also define the RTO, or recovery time objective: it indicates the maximum allowable interruption duration for IT equipment. A billing tool and a secondary system do not necessarily require the same recovery time. This distinction helps to distribute resources and establish a recovery order adapted to the activities.
An untested document may omit a dependency, such as network access or necessary credentials. Regularly simulate an interruption and ask those involved to follow the instructions. For example, an SME can test access to a critical file from a first aid station, then note the steps that failed.
Qualification of installations consists of verifying that equipment or a system meets the defined requirements before its use. When replacing a server, the company can test applications, access and data exchange in a verification environment. It thus reduces the risk of discovering, in the middle of a breakdown, that an essential tool depends on a forgotten component.
Crisis management and maintenance of services
Crisis management organizes decisions and communications during an incident to keep operations prioritized. It specifies who coordinates actions, who informs employees and where the instructions are located. In a private school, for example, the administrative team must know how to communicate a schedule change if the usual application is down.
In the event of an outage, start by assessing the affected services and their effects on work. Designate someone to centralize information, then document decisions and actions in progress. This method prevents several managers from launching incompatible interventions or transmitting different instructions to the teams.
Monitoring complements these procedures by reporting changes in the status of the services concerned. After the incident, compare the planned response to what actually happened: detection time, access to resources and effectiveness of the alternative. Then update the plan and useful contact details so that the next exercise reflects the current organization of the SME.
Management of servers, storage and backups
Data availability depends on the coordinated operation of servers, storage and backups. For an SME, you need to know what information can be lost during an incident and how long access to it can remain interrupted.
A server hosts applications or files, while storage maintains the data they use. Storage redundancy can rely on RAID, a disk arrangement that keeps data available if a disk fails. However, it does not replace a backup: an erroneous deletion or modification can also have repercussions on the synchronized copies.
The RPO, or recovery point objective, indicates the maximum duration of data loss considered acceptable. It can correspond to the interval between two automatic backups. If an SME backs up its files every day, changes made since the last copy may not be included in the backup. The rhythm must therefore correspond to the frequency of modifications and their importance for the activity.
The RTO, or recovery time objective, defines the maximum allowable interruption duration for equipment. For an outsourced backup in the cloud, it corresponds to the time during which access to documents can remain interrupted after a failure. A fiduciary can thus distinguish the recovery of its accounting system from that of a file consulted less often, then prioritize the necessary resources.
Backups can follow different rhythms. A daily copy protects recent changes; a weekly copy brings an additional restore point; an incremental backup only copies the modifications since the previous copy. The combination depends on data volume, recovery needs and storage capacities. In an SME, clearly indicate the applications and folders included in each copy.
Test restoring backups: the existence of a copy alone does not prove that the files are usable. Choose a representative folder, restore it to a separate location, and then check its opening and contents. For a server, also record the steps necessary to restart and bring back into service the applications used by the teams.
In Switzerland, the location of hosting and who is authorized to access copies are part of data management decisions. An SME that maintains sensitive records can document these accesses, the systems affected and those responsible for restoration. This report facilitates server maintenance and specifies the actions to take if the main storage becomes unavailable.
Flux Group SARL: Flux ICT
Flux Group SARL supports SMEs in Geneva, Meyrin, Vernier, Eaux-Vives, Collogny, Grand-Lancy and Petit-Lancy in the organization of their IT and the availability of their services. With Flux ICT, the company offers IT and cybersecurity support, as well as VoIP phone and telecommunications services. If recurring interruptions, difficult access or protection needs complicate daily work, present your priority services and your difficulties to Flux Group SARL to define the appropriate solution for your situation.
Move from analysis to an action plan
The next step is to connect your business priorities to concrete IT goals. Identify the services whose shutdown is blocking work, the people responsible for restarting them, and the data needed to restart. You can then check whether monitoring, procedures and safeguards meet these needs.
To ensure the availability of IT services, move forward in order of priority rather than treating each tool the same way. Start with an essential service, define its recovery objective, then document the actions and test them with the people involved. This approach gives your SME a clear basis for decisions and facilitates future improvements.
A plan adapted to your activity is built step by step. Start with services that directly support daily work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the availability of an IT service?
Uptime is the amount of time an IT service runs and remains accessible to the people who need it. Ensuring the availability of IT services involves organizing systems, responsibilities and procedures to limit interruptions. For an SMEs, this can allow the team to continue processing requests even if a secondary tool is temporarily unavailable.
What indicators should we monitor and how can we make supervision useful?
Track uptime, MTTR, MTBF and SLA commitments, linking them to real-world impacts on your business. An alert must identify the department concerned and specify to whom to transmit the incident. For example, if the reservation software becomes unresponsive, the person responsible should know how to report the problem and what temporary solution to use.
Is high availability too expensive for a small business?
Not necessarily: an SME can concentrate its measures on the tools whose shutdown blocks operations, rather than doubling its entire infrastructure. The cost depends in particular on the services concerned, their architecture and the expected level of recovery. An initial analysis can distinguish applications that are needed every day from those that can wait for recovery.
What is the difference between high availability and disaster recovery, and how to prepare for continuity?
High availability aims to maintain service during a failure, while disaster recovery restores systems after a larger incident. To prepare for continuity, prioritize activities, designate responsible individuals, and document alternatives. Then do an exercise, for example by simulating the unavailability of a business tool and following the instructions provided.
Article by
Delyan TZONEV
Passionate entrepreneur and manager, I am CEO of Flux Group and Hype Swiss. I support companies in their digital transformation thanks to innovative solutions in IT, telecommunications and software development. My goal is to design high-performance technologies that simplify the daily lives of businesses and support their growth.
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Questions fréquentes
What is the availability of an IT service?
Uptime is the amount of time an IT service runs and remains accessible to the people who need it. Ensuring the availability of IT services involves organizing systems, responsibilities and procedures to limit interruptions. For an SMEs, this can allow the team to continue processing requests even if a secondary tool is temporarily unavailable.
What indicators should we monitor and how can we make supervision useful?
Track uptime, MTTR, MTBF and SLA commitments, linking them to real-world impacts on your business. An alert must identify the department concerned and specify to whom to transmit the incident. For example, if the reservation software becomes unresponsive, the person responsible should know how to report the problem and what temporary solution to use.
Is high availability too expensive for a small business?
Not necessarily: an SME can concentrate its measures on the tools whose shutdown blocks operations, rather than doubling its entire infrastructure. The cost depends in particular on the services concerned, their architecture and the expected level of recovery. An initial analysis can distinguish applications that are needed every day from those that can wait for recovery.
What is the difference between high availability and disaster recovery, and how to prepare for continuity?
High availability aims to maintain service during a failure, while disaster recovery restores systems after a larger incident. To prepare for continuity, prioritize activities, designate responsible individuals, and document alternatives. Then do an exercise, for example by simulating the unavailability of a business tool and following the instructions provided.
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