Recently, we worked with an independent analyst firm, Freeform Dynamics, to survey 1,200 IT professionals about the major factors in organizational downtime. Here at Neverfail, we hear from companies all of the time about the causes of downtime, but even I was surprised by some of the results of Freeform's research.

Freeform's research showed that more than 40 percent of respondents reported delays or interruptions that dramatically affected more than one part of their business every month. These kinds of failures can have dramatic results that extend far beyond the IT organization to affect productivity across the entire organization. Delving deeper into the issue, Freeform Dynamics found that risky business and IT practices are major factors in application software failure and that one in five organizations suffer failures resulting in tangible business damage at least once per quarter. Preventing application failure was a major issue. A staggering 95 percent do not get enough warning to take preventative action.

The research also revealed some interesting data about resiliency and budgeting. And some respondents provided a lighter tone to the topic with some sage "advice" for their colleagues. One said, "Don't have users on the system. It solves most problems." Another commented, "Have a plan, not a wish list."

If you'd like to read the entire report, "Risk & Resilience: The Application Availability Gamble," go to our Web site to download a copy. For those of you who want the cliff notes, check out the press release. Until next month...

Andrew Barnes, senior vice president of corporate development at Neverfail