There are common IT problems every business must identify and solve as these problems can negatively impact company growth and amplify costs. These IT issues can be as minor as poor internet connectivity or as big as a system vulnerability that brings a halt to your operations.
According to this recent study, IT outages can cost small companies between $137 and $427 each minute, while big companies might lose over $9,000 per minute. Even brief stops can lead to big money losses.
Whether you’re dealing with old tech, systems that keep crashing, or security breaches, the answer lies in getting ahead of these issues—figuring them out and getting ready for them before they blow up.
So, what are the most common IT problems businesses face today, and how can you effectively avoid them? In this article, we’ll dig into 9 common IT problems businesses face and give you some hands-on tips to keep your business humming along.
Why Bother About Common IT Problems?
- IT Problems Result in Lost Productivity
Everything from Internet service outages to software glitches can cause companies major productivity disruptions. When employees are required to spend more time fixing computer problems than job-related tasks, completion times go up and quality control goes down.
This cuts into profits significantly. In both on-site and remote work setups, these IT issues create inefficiencies that can drag down overall productivity.If the IT management team isn’t aware of these issues or doesn’t know exactly what causes them, then ongoing problems can go on for months or even years without being addressed.
- IT Problems Lead to Security Breaches
Gone are the days when it was safe to assume that your customers or employees were the only ones trying to access your company’s information. Did you know that every 11 seconds a business will fall victim to ransomware?
Hackers now target businesses with unsecured networks. And this is particularly concerning for remote workers accessing company systems from various locations and networks.
If you don’t have current anti-virus software or a strong firewall, then there’s a high chance that even if you haven’t had any issues yet, someone could already be accessing your data without your knowledge.
9 Common IT Problems and Their Solutions
A lot of IT issues can throw a wrench in how a business runs, from a lack of qualified IT personnel to outdated technology. These problems, such as unreliable internet connectivity, security vulnerability, or inefficient work processes, can slow things down and increase overall costs.
The good news is, companies can fix each of these common IT challenges in order to make sure everything is running according to plan.
And to help you do that, here’s a list of the 9 most common IT problems and how to solve them:
1. Lack of Qualified IT Personnel
The importance of IT professional support can be a very common IT issue for most businesses. Most times, inexperienced staff are left trying to fix IT problems without the necessary skills, which leads to frustration and lost productivity. Without qualified personnel to handle these challenges, businesses can face ongoing disruptions that affect their operations.
The Solution
There are many ways to combat this common problem, one of which is hiring an experienced IT professional, who understands how to resolve industry-specific IT issues. Something you should also take into consideration is the fact that, in today’s remote-first world, businesses also have the option of hiring remote IT professionals. These experts provide the same level of expertise and support as on-site staff, while offering added flexibility and often reducing costs.
Now, if hiring someone full-time isn’t feasible, partnering with a recruitment agency like DistantJob can help you find skilled remote employees at a fraction of the cost.
Another solution for this issue is training your current employees on how to manage different technology problems that may arise that can help alleviate stress and boost overall productivity.
2. Careless Approach to Online Security
One of the most common IT problems is a careless approach to online security. This issue can be particularly challenging to address because it’s different for every individual and organization.
It’s unlike other common types of technical issues that can be fixed with a quick fix, reboot, or following useful strategies to hire a professional. As cyber-attacks evolve, this careless approach becomes even more dangerous, with current threats like ransomware, phishing, and social engineering becoming increasingly sophisticated.
As we can see in this report, ransomware attacks hit 59% of organizations in 2024 highlighting how common this threat has become. Recovering from these incidents costs $2.73 million on average, not including ransom payments. Phishing scams continue to be a major method of attack, where hackers trick employees into revealing sensitive information. Also, 70% of ransomware attacks lead to encrypted data, and 34% of organizations need over a month to bounce back fully. Also, social engineering attacks pose a growing risk targeting businesses of all sizes by exploiting human weaknesses to gain unauthorized access.
The Solution
One way you can help protect your information against IT problems is by setting up things like:
- Regular password changes for employees and clients
- Multiple authentication processes
- Restricting access to certain systems for employees that do not require it
- Creating a written internet use policy for employees
These steps will help protect your business from current threats like phishing, ransomware, and social engineering attacks. Hackers today are constantly looking for vulnerabilities, so implementing these measures can secure your website and organization’s systems against potential breaches.
3. Low IT Workshop Attendance and No Emergency Plan
Having an emergency plan in place will help you combat a wide variety of IT problems.
Remembering simple steps like turning off any electrical appliances near or around a computer when it has been affected by water (to prevent short circuits), can make all of the difference if something does occur.
However, to act fast in such situations, your employees need adequate knowledge. And conferences and training are great tools to keep your employees up to date with valuable information that’ll be useful in emergency situations. As remote work becomes the norm, it’s increasingly important to offer virtual workshops and remote IT training sessions. These sessions ensure that your employees, whether on-site or working remotely, have the tools and knowledge they need to address IT emergencies.
But if your team isn’t attending these workshops, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to strengthen your emergency response.
The Solution
For businesses, having an experienced IT professional available for emergencies will give you peace of mind and reduce stress during tech crises. Additionally, virtual incident response plans and remote tabletop exercises have become crucial for simulating IT emergencies in a remote work setup. These exercises allow teams to practice dealing with emergencies from different locations, preparing them for real-life scenarios.
But to adequately train your developers, offer them incentives to attend workshops that teach how to handle emergency IT problems. This could be anything from small personal perks to team outings. If it works, do it more often!
Also, make these virtual or hybrid workshops accessible, flexible, and relevant to both on-site and remote workers to ensure maximum participation.
4. Unreliable Internet Connectivity and Bandwidth Problems
No matter what your business does, employees must have adequate access to the internet at all times. This common IT problem has become even more significant as more companies embrace remote work, where reliable internet connectivity is essential for daily operations. Access to Wi-Fi is one of the most sought-after resources today, but many companies overlook the importance of bandwidth speed and internet stability.
Internet connection issues and fluctuating speeds often result from a combination of internal hardware limitations, ISP service levels, network congestion, or even external and natural factors like weather or space phenomena.
The Solution
You don’t have one until you identify the cause of your slow internet speeds. Is it your company’s internet router? Your ISP? The building’s wiring? Or are natural events like windstorms or satellite issues affecting the connection?
If it’s a router, call a technician to fix it. If it’s a satellite, then there isn’t much you can do besides wait for everything to get back to normal.
Also, for natural causes, unfortunately, there’s not much to do besides waiting for things to return to normal. However, for remote workers, it’s crucial to invest in backup internet services or mobile hotspots. These can provide continuity during outages and ensure productivity remains uninterrupted, regardless of location.
For unreliable internet connectivity, you can control the issue by finding an experienced professional to set up a new network within your office building or evaluate the current system for potential improvements. Being proactive about seeking solutions, including backup options for remote employees, will prevent larger problems and ensure business continuity.
5. Outdated Technology
Outdated technology is a significant issue that can arise from a lack of resources or reluctance to adopt new innovations. This problem not only hinders efficiency but also leads to security vulnerabilities.
For remote teams, outdated software can leave sensitive data exposed, making it crucial to prioritize updates that enhance security, particularly for remote access tools and communication platforms.
Businesses that don’t prioritize tech upgrades expose themselves to risks, as outdated software often lacks the security patches necessary to combat modern cyber threats.
The Solution
To address this, ensure that all your software and hardware are regularly updated and compatible with the latest versions released by manufacturers. This keeps your systems secure and functioning efficiently.
If you do not have at least one person whose job is to research new trends in computer tech, hire someone. A person who specializes in the field will help you decide which upgrades will be best for your business.
Also, using cloud-based tech can help remote teams boost their productivity while cutting down on old in-house systems. Cloud options often offer better security, can grow with your needs, and give you more options—all crucial for companies with spread-out teams.
Keeping an eye on what’s coming next in tech will make sure your company stays in the game and keeps itself safe from threats.
6. Slow Response Times
No one enjoys slow tech devices or apps. It’s bad enough when your internet connection speed is slow, but it’s even worse when your devices lag.
This issue can affect productivity, especially for remote teams who rely on fast, responsive systems to stay efficient.
The Solution
Performing regular maintenance on your company’s network and individual computers is key. You need to keep track of your technical documentation to make sure that there are no software conflicts, get rid of any suspicious programs, and maybe get someone to upgrade the hardware if necessary. For remote teams, cloud-based monitoring tools have an influence on giving real-time insights into performance issues. This allows IT teams to fix them fast. These tools make remote support possible, so technicians can find and solve problems without needing to touch the devices.
These proactive steps help solve many performance issues swiftly. This ensures smoother operations for workers in the office and at home.
7. Security Vulnerability
One of the most common IT problems for businesses around the world today is security and vulnerability. Between hackers, malware, data breaches, and identity theft, it seems like every business has one or more reasons to be concerned about their company’s security level.
With the increase in remote work and cloud-based operations, companies now face new security challenges, including remote access vulnerabilities and unsecured cloud storage.
What’s worse? Most business owners don’t even realize how vulnerable they are until it’s too late.
The Solution
Let technology help you out here. Use an advanced firewall so outside sources can only access the information they need to access, not your sensitive data.
Also, cloud security is now critical, so ensure that cloud services are protected with the latest security protocols. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and VPNs to secure remote access and encrypt communications. Zero-trust architecture is also a modern approach that limits access, ensuring employees only have access to the data they need.
Get software that is constantly monitoring for threats like:
- Antivirus such as Norton and McAfee
- Network monitoring tools like Nagios and Argus
Also, use the latest forms of data encryption and protection like:
- Keepass
- Tor
- TrueCrypt
Proactively addressing these vulnerabilities can save your business from costly breaches and downtime.
8. Inefficient work processes Due to Unreliable Communication Systems
For a company to run properly, there must be well-defined processes in place. Whether it’s workflow management or simply how employees handle emails, inefficient work processes add up over time, increasing pressure and slowing overall operations.
Poor communication setups can throw employees into disarray causing a steep drop in output. This rings true for off-site teams where smooth info sharing plays an even bigger role in keeping everyone in sync. We’ve all felt the annoyance of hanging around for a key email or phone call to run into connection snags or shaky communication tools.
The Solution
Hiring with expert help from qualified IT staff might be a good choice. IT professionals have seen more than their fair share of these problems. They know just about everything that can go wrong with a workflow and how to fix each issue. You should consult them whenever you feel that some part of your system isn’t working as efficiently as you would like it to.
For teams working from different locations using reliable chat and video apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom can boost teamwork and keep things running smoothly. These tools help staff stay in touch, share updates as they happen, and make sure work flows well.
Also, team up with your provider to see what is wrong with your current connection speeds. Have them look into these issues until they are fully resolved. It’s crucial to have a strong plan to communicate during unexpected downtime for remote teams. Using cloud-based tools to talk can help keep things running even when systems go down. These platforms often come with backup options and different ways to connect, which helps operations continue without a hitch.
9. Undefined Storage Structure
When your employees are working on files, they must know where to save them. There is nothing more frustrating than having to search through various folders each time you want to find a document or save a new one.
If the structure isn’t mapped out correctly, then there may be redundancies in your files and extraneous storage space will be used.
In our current digital workplace, a messy storage setup can slow things down and even put data at risk.
The Solution
Once again, technology can come in handy! Use a file-sharing application so everyone has access to the same documents at all times without having to email them back and forth.
Some great examples of file-sharing apps include:
- DropBox
- Google Drive
- FileCloud
- ProofHub
- Sync.com
- Synology Drive
Besides using these file-sharing apps, use cloud storage solutions such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive to make sure every employee can get to the same files without sending loads of emails back and forth. These tools let people work together in real-time and keep your files safe in the cloud, so you can open them from anywhere.
AI-powered document management systems can change the game for companies that want to tidy up their digital file systems. These programs sort files on their own, point out copies, and even lock down data with encryption and checks to follow the rules.
And, lastly, you could also hire someone with IT training to map out an efficient storage structure that makes sense for how your office operates. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just needs to work well for everyone who uses it.
Conclusion
So, to sum up, in order to keep your business running without hitches and prevent costly disruptions, it’s key to be proactive in both assessing and addressing these IT problems. You can do so by tightening up security measures with regular updates, backups, and strong encryption. Then, by also making sure your internet connectivity is reliable, perhaps by setting up backup systems or mobile hotspots for your team. You can and should definitely streamline workflows by implementing cloud storage solutions that keep your team connected and productive no matter where they are.
Don’t forget about your team—train them on how to handle IT emergencies and encourage regular participation in workshops. These simple steps can save your business from downtime and keep everything moving smoothly.
And keep in mind that one of the easiest and most effective ways to tackle these common IT problems is to hire expert help. Instead of just using in-house staff, companies today can tap into remote IT pros who bring specialized know-how and flexibility to solve IT challenges fast and well. At DistantJob, we excel at finding and hiring top-notch remote IT experts who can fit right into your team, no matter where they are, and help stop or fix IT issues before they get out of hand.
Our method not only gets you the right experts but also has an impact on your wallet costing way less than usual hiring and taking just half the time. We tap into talent from all over the world linking you up with IT pros who are set to tackle these issues head-on keeping your company running without a hitch.
Don’t let everyday IT hiccups slow your business down—bring on top-notch remote IT talent to fix them now. Let DistantJob help you create a skilled worldwide IT crew that’s ready to handle any challenge making sure your business stays productive, safe, and primed for growth.
