Server Downtime: Why it Happens and How to Prevent It

Server downtime is a silent killer that can sneak up on your business when you least expect it. Today, there is no worse enemy for businesses than server downtime. Every minute of service unavailability is thousands of customers leaving for competitors.

You must increase your knowledge of server downtime and learn how to beat it. With dedication and clever planning, even beginner entrepreneurs can build infrastructure strong enough to prevent any threat. Let us learn together why server downtime happens and how you can prevent it.

What Causes Server Downtime?

Server downtime is an IT problem where some activity, operation, or external factor forces the server to go offline. Here are the 7 major causes of server downtime in 2024:

1. Cybercrime

Cybercrime is a major cause of downtime and is responsible for many notable outages. Cybercriminals attack servers and networks through various methods and try to bring down the system. For example, DDoS attacks are designed to crash servers and harm the business with forced downtime. 

The Uptime Institute’s 2023 Annual Outage Analysis Report supports this claim. The report found cybercrime and ransomware attacks to be a leading cause of server downtime¹. Cybercrime has also increased by 3% from 2023. If this continues, we may see as many as 20% of servers suffer from cybercrime-related outages. 

2. Hardware Failure

Hardware failure is often overlooked as a cause of server downtime. The Uptime Institute reports that 37% of network outages are due to hardware failures. Storage devices, particularly hard drives, are the most likely to fail hardware in the server². While replacing a hard drive is easy, the bigger problem is losing data in the drive. 

Server age is another reason for hardware failure³. In case of poor maintenance or intense use, the failure rate can rise even higher and go unnoticed until the last moment.

3. Software Failure

With hardware failure, you at least have the chance to prevent it by servicing and upgrading components. On the other hand, software failures can happen for any reason and without warning. 

The 2024 CrowdStrike disaster is a textbook case of software failure⁴. Unfortunately, nothing can be done besides proper software management and updates to avoid such failures. You must be ready to deal with unexpected software failures as an IT professional.

4. Human Error

No matter how well you plan or how robust your infrastructure is, one wrong move by a system admin or technician can cause server failure. The 2017 major AWS outage is a great example of human error compromising robust systems⁵. 

Consider how much damage could be caused if such human error leads to a successful cybercrime attack. You must limit this damage by implementing strict SOPs and training staff in IT handling and management.

5. Natural Disasters 

Natural disasters include earthquakes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, floods, etc. The damage these disasters can cause can put your server out of commission for weeks and months. One in two data center companies surveyed by Zenium Technology reported experiencing server downtime due to natural disasters⁶. 

Unfortunately, even a well-built data center is not guaranteed to withstand the force of nature. The best you can do is ensure safety standards are met and pray they are enough. 

6. Power Outages

Power outages create many cases of server downtime today. Your on-premises systems are always in danger due to electric grid shutdown and maintenance. You can use power backups like generators and UPS systems to solve this issue. Many of the biggest data centers build on-site, dedicated power plants to maintain uptime.

Power outages can also result from hardware problems. You must keep the infrastructure updated to avoid such situations. 

7. Network Outages

Network outages are closely tied to hardware and software. Failure in either can cause a breakdown in network infrastructure. Network outages often happen on the Internet Service Provider (ISP)’s end. ISPs are big targets for DDoS attacks, which can cause a network outage. 

They also use complex systems to deliver service, and any issue in their system can cause a network outage for clients. You cannot prevent these outages. A useful solution is having multiple ISPs available to swap to a working network. 

Let’s quickly recap the causes before moving toward prevention:

5 Strategies to Prevent Server Downtime

Strategically building a strong infrastructure requires careful planning and adaptability. Here’s what we recommend for enhancing your server’s availability:

1. Choose the Right Tech Stack

Selecting the right tech stack is important for minimizing downtime. As we highlighted, software conflicts and incompatibilities can create huge issues. You can limit the chances of such software failures by selecting a stable tech stack that fulfills all your needs. Notable tech stacks built to handle server downtime include:

• Linux + NGINX + Docker

• LAMP Stack (Linux + Apache + MySQL + PHP)
• MERN Stack (MongoDB + Express + React + Node.js)

2. Conduct Regular Load Testing

Another simple way to avoid potential server downtime is by conducting routine load testing and stability checks. You can judge the server’s capabilities and perform preventative maintenance by running the server through specialized load tests. Here are some trusted load-testing platforms and programs for safe stress testing:

• Apache JMeter
• LoadRunner
• Gatling
• k6
• BlazeMeter

3. Implement Multi-Server Load Balancing

You can use multiple servers to share the server load. This way you can avoid overwhelming one server. If a hardware or software failure occurs, only the affected machine goes down. Such a system guarantees high availability. Plus, it is a robust scalability enhancement. 

4. Ensure Regular Backups 

Regular backups are critical to minimizing downtime, especially during server failures, data corruption, or security breaches. You can ensure that data can be recovered quickly with a detailed backup plan. This allows the system to return to its normal state without major disruption. 

You must schedule backups at regular intervals, depending on the importance of the data. High-priority systems may need daily or hourly backups, while less critical systems can be backed up weekly. Use automated backup systems to avoid human error and ensure data is consistently saved.

5. Monitor and Maintain Hardware

You should actively monitor hardware to detect signs of failure before they cause downtime. Monitoring tools like Nagios, Zabbix, or Datadog allow continuous observation of key hardware metrics. These tools can send you and your team real-time alerts if something seems wrong.

Regular maintenance can minimize downtime crucially. You must clean out server dust, replace aging components, and update firmware. This approach reduces the chances of a server going down due to hardware issues and helps maintain overall system stability.

Conclusion

Server downtime is a major threat to your business. However, you should be able to adapt to any downtime situations effectively with the knowledge in this guide. You can even create a 99% uptime infrastructure by using smart strategies and innovative technologies.

At RedSwitches, we house some of the most resilient and robust dedicated server hosting infrastructure. Our global network of dedicated servers ensures that your website will not go offline no matter what happens. All of this and more can be yours at some of the most affordable prices in the market. 

FAQs

1. What causes server downtime?
   Server downtime can occur for various reasons, including cybercrime, hardware or software failures, human errors, natural disasters, power outages, and network issues. Each of these factors has the potential to crash servers and impact availability​.
2. How does cybercrime lead to server downtime?
   Cyberattacks, such as ransomware or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, can overwhelm server systems, causing them to crash. 
3. Why is hardware failure a common cause of downtime?
   Hardware, especially storage drives, is prone to failure. Aging components or poor maintenance can also increase the risk​.
4. How does software failure impact server uptime?
   Software failure can occur unexpectedly due to bugs and system conflicts. These issues can cause a system to crash, and diagnosing software-related failures can be challenging.
5. Can human error lead to significant server downtime?
   Human errors, such as inputting incorrect commands, can cause massive outages. For example, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage in 2017 was caused by a simple spelling mistake that removed critical servers​.
6. How can natural disasters affect servers?
   Natural disasters like earthquakes and floods can damage data centers and lead to extended downtime. While data centers often claim to be disaster-resistant, nearly half experience some form of disaster-related downtime​.
7. Why are power outages a major cause of downtime?
   Power outages, especially in on-premise systems, can lead to sudden server shutdowns. Even with power backups like generators or UPS systems, a third of all server outages are still attributed to power failure​.
8. How do network outages contribute to downtime?
   Network outages caused by issues with ISPs, DDoS attacks, or internal failures can disrupt server connectivity. Since network failures are often out of the server owner’s control, businesses may need backup networks to ensure uptime​.
9. How can regular load testing help prevent downtime?
   Load testing simulates high-traffic conditions to evaluate server performance under stress. This helps identify weak points and optimize infrastructure before a real surge causes downtime​.
10. What are some effective disaster recovery strategies?
    Effective disaster recovery plans include regular backups and failover strategies, where secondary servers can take over in case of failure. Testing these systems regularly ensures data is recoverable and downtime is minimized​.

References

1: The Uptime Institute, Annual Outage Analysis, 2023

2: Arcserver, Which Hardware Fails the Most and Why, 2013

3: Statista, Frequency of Server Failure Based on the Age of the Server, 2014

4: CrowdStrike, External Technical Root Cause Analysis — Channel File 291, 2024

5: AWS, Summary of the Amazon S3 Service Disruption in the Northern Virginia (US-EAST-1) Region, 2017

6: Continuity Central, Data Centers and Natural Disasters, 2015