What To Do After a Network Crash
For most modern businesses, having a reliable and functioning computer network is the most critical part of their success. Unfortunately, even the most reliable networks can suffer from unexpected issues or crashes. In these moments, the most important thing is that you know what to do and how to handle the stress of the situation. These are the actions we consider to be the most important for handling a network crash at your Santa Ana business. Luckily, C3 Tech offers Managed IT services and knows just how to respond to these situations.
- Stay calm.
Panicking will obviously not help anyone in this situation. Your managers and peers need to see you handle the crash in a calm and professional manner. At the same time, you shouldn’t be nonchalant or lackadaisical about the crash. You need to have a level head, but also be eager to find a solution to the problem as quickly as possible, whether that means data backup and recovery or hardware replacement.
- Be prepared.
Have your tech support resources, such as contact information and web portals, readily accessible. It’s important that you don’t just save this information on your servers, as these servers could be the very reason behind the network crash. Instead, have a paper copy as well for the sake of redundancy. Getting in touch with your managed IT service provider like C3 Tech can quickly remove the headaches of dealing with a crash. This lets you focus on answering the concerns of your employees while we address the issue and perform data recovery.
- Manage user expectations.
In situations where you can identify how long it will take to fix the issue, communicate these estimations to your team, but be realistic about it. If it’s going to take you an hour to finish data backup, tell your users this rather than repeatedly promising an unrealistically short timeframe. If you’re not sure how long it will take you to recover from the crash, tell your users what you do know and update them as you go along.
- Know where to get replacement parts locally.
Working with a local company that is knowledgeable and maintains a good stock of spare parts or units can let you quickly replace any defective equipment rather than waiting days for it to be shipped. If possible, have an account set up that lets you order replacement parts as quickly as possible.
- Keep track of what you do.
When attempting a fix or data recovery, take notes on what you do and what changes you make. These notes can help you document the exact problem and will make it easier for you to backtrack in case you need to try something different. It can also be useful if you have another crash in the future, serving as a procedure checklist if the problem repeats itself.
- Test repeatedly.
After you think you’ve solved the problem, test your solution multiple times. Do so from a user perspective, such as a workstation or terminal, to make sure that your fix has gone out and impacted your full workforce.
- Document the problem for the future.
After you’ve resolved the crash, compile your notes on the causes behind the crash and steps you took to resolve it so that you have a reference for the future. Even if the exact issue never occurs again, you will still have a point of reference for any other similar problems, should they arise. This will also be useful if you’re out of the office and someone else has to resolve the crash and perform data backup.
If you’d like to have a managed IT service provider that can handle network crashes for you, you can trust the professionals at C3 Tech. Our data backup and recovery services can help you get past unexpected issues with minimal interruption to your business’s workflow, and our My C3 web portal provides constant monitoring for network issues. We also provide office technology solutions, employee cyber-security training, and much more. If you’re interested in our network crash assistance, data recovery, or other Managed IT services for your Santa Ana business, give us a call at (714) 689-1700.
