You're facing recurring IT disruptions. How can you uncover their root causes for prevention?

Look for patterns in the disruptions. Analyze when and where they occur, and under what conditions. Identifying commonalities can point you toward the underlying causes. For example, recurring issues during peak usage times might indicate capacity problems.

This is a good tactic - you work on eliminating things as well as identifying things that impact performance. It’s a general troubleshooting tactic - I have used h to that on cars, diesel generators, large power generators, and all kinds of technology.

Uncover the hidden connections between seemingly random events; patterns often hold the key to uncovering the root cause of persistent issues.

Standards and processes are important for this reason. The definition of procedures and constant checks mitigate inconsistencies if followed correctly. I always recommend international security and privacy standards as the basis for any IT frameworks. By Éder

This is a sound logical approach that drives a clear methodology of data led analysis. Patterns and Trending provide clear, specific data points to make informed decisions. We have heavily used data led analysis to identify traffic bandwidth constraints and has focused on target upgrade programmes.

Examine system logs meticulously. Logs provide detailed records of system activities and errors, which can help you pinpoint what happened just before and during the disruption. This detailed analysis can reveal recurring issues that might not be immediately apparent.

Think of logs as the diary of your IT systems. Their entries reveal the hidden stories behind disruptions, guiding you towards effective solutions.

Ensure all systems are up-to-date. Outdated software and firmware can be sources of recurring problems. Regularly updating and patching systems can prevent issues caused by known vulnerabilities and improve overall stability.

Regular maintenance is key to a healthy system, just like a regular tune-up keeps your car running smoothly. Keeping your software and hardware updated ensures peak performance and security.

Before implementing any system changes, thoroughly test them in a controlled environment. This helps prevent new issues from being introduced into the production environment. Effective testing can uncover potential problems that could lead to future disruptions.

QA Testing is a fundamental step in pre-deployment steps. Ensuring stability of service and functionality, is a base requirements for all deployments whether tactical or strategic.

Provide ongoing training for your IT staff. Well-trained personnel are better equipped to handle issues promptly and can more accurately diagnose and resolve problems. Regular training sessions can keep the team updated on the latest technologies and best practices.

The key to training staff while IT evolves in an organization, is to first build change agility mindsets across the organization. This readiness primer creates a readiness "stickiness" for later training upskilling and does not have to be complex. It does however, need to communicate why change agility is valued and consistently sustained in the culture. In other words, it's not a one-time communication, but a cultural norm. When people understand that "being able and ready to change" is an expected part of the work culture then future IT upskilling will stick and gain optimal traction.

For core platform services we employ a 4th line support model with Vendor or Specialist Technical support to ensure that we can restore services in the most expedient way possible. Especially where the system has high levels of customisation.