What are the most common reasons for failure in IT Operations?

1 Human error

One of the most frequent and costly causes of failure in IT operations is human error. Human error can occur at any stage of the IT lifecycle, from planning and design, to implementation and maintenance, to monitoring and troubleshooting. Human error can result from lack of skills, knowledge, or experience, poor communication or collaboration, fatigue or stress, or simply mistakes or oversights. To reduce the risk of human error, you should invest in training and education, establish clear roles and responsibilities, implement standard operating procedures and best practices, use automation and tools, and promote a culture of learning and feedback.

3 Configuration drift

Configuration drift is the divergence of the actual state of IT systems or environments from the desired or expected state. Configuration drift can happen due to manual changes, unauthorized access, inconsistent deployments, or environmental factors. Configuration drift can cause failure in IT operations by breaking functionality, introducing errors, or exposing security gaps. To prevent or detect configuration drift, you should use configuration management tools, enforce policies and standards, implement version control and change management, and monitor and audit IT systems or environments.

4 External threats

External threats are the malicious or accidental actions of third parties that disrupt or damage IT operations. External threats can include cyberattacks, such as ransomware, phishing, or denial-of-service, natural disasters, such as floods, fires, or earthquakes, or human factors, such as vandalism, theft, or sabotage. External threats can result in failure in IT operations by compromising availability, integrity, or confidentiality of IT systems or data. To protect against external threats, you should implement security measures, such as encryption, firewall, or antivirus, backup and restore plans, disaster recovery and business continuity plans, and incident response plans.

5 Internal challenges

Internal challenges are the organizational or operational issues that hinder or impair IT operations. Internal challenges can include budget constraints, resource shortages, skill gaps, cultural clashes, or misalignment of expectations. Internal challenges can lead to failure in IT operations by affecting quality, delivery, or innovation of IT solutions or services. To overcome internal challenges, you should communicate and collaborate effectively with stakeholders, align IT operations with business objectives and customer needs, optimize processes and workflows, and foster a culture of agility and adaptability.

6 Complexity and interdependency

Complexity and interdependency are the characteristics of IT systems or environments that involve multiple components, layers, or connections that interact and depend on each other. Complexity and interdependency can increase the value and functionality of IT operations, but also the risk and impact of failure. Complexity and interdependency can cause failure in IT operations by creating bottlenecks, dependencies, or conflicts, reducing visibility or control, or amplifying errors or issues. To cope with complexity and interdependency, you should use modular and scalable architectures, adopt microservices and containers, leverage cloud and edge computing, and apply systems thinking and holistic approaches.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?