When Skipping Monitoring Costs, These SMBs Thousands 

Business IT monitoring is commonly regarded as optional. Many small and mid-sized businesses think that they can manage without cybersecurity and data monitoring tools. Many businesses handle things differently when it comes to their IT challenges. However, regardless of the “how,” only one thing is certain- downtime is not only annoying but it is also costly. This is in terms of money, productivity, and customer trust. The following are samples of business IT monitoring case study showing how business owners learn their lesson after a hard and costly mistake.  

When Skipping Monitoring Costs, These SMBs Thousands

Case 1: The Unmonitored Server Crash 

This is the case of a mid-sized accounting firm and classic server crash story. They operated a single on-site server with no alert system, data monitoring tools and no one checking on server health. One Friday evening, the server crashed, and it was only on Monday, when employees came to work, that they found out that no one could access any files.  

Issue, Consequence, Fix 

The issue? A minor hardware malfunction. This went unnoticed for some time before it finally gave in. The consequence? Three days of extensive emergency and reactive IT work and thousands of dollars spent on services, hardware, and software. All of which are at premium price because they needed it “now.” Relying on reactive IT caused their recovery efforts to drag on but it is better than a complete failure recovery time. Repair was performed by transferring the server and partially recovering old backups. Had they had prior business IT monitoring case study, this scenario could have been avoided. 

Case 2: Ransomware Without Alerts 

Another business IT monitoring case study is that of a healthcare clinic whose data was held hostage until payment was made. This clinic’s experience is a prime example of ransomware. Their system was accessed from a phishing email that one of their staff unknowingly clicked on. During a weekend, hackers secured sensitive files in an encrypted form. Because of this, they were booted out of their system and all their patient data.  

Had they had real-time monitoring in place, the outcome could have been very different. There were no alert system and no recent backups of the business data and patient information. As a result, they had to pay a ransom to come back to business and even that was not a final fix as they continued to get extorted until they changed their entire system. Moreover, the unavailability of their service for a few days damaged their reputation and networking with customers. 

Case 3: Website Down for a Week 

Another business IT monitoring case study is that of a small online store that had overlooked their web monitoring. One day, they decided to have a small change in software done. However, this little tweak in the system conflicted with their hosting and resulted in the site becoming unavailable. With no alert system and data monitoring tools, they were completely blind. They only knew about the downtime when customers started complaining on social media.  

This resulted in the website being offline for a total of seven days, until it was resolved. However, by then, customer trust had been severely marred, and sales had plummeted.   

What All 3 Cases Had in Common 

All three businesses assumed monitoring wasn’t essential. Before acting, they waited until something broke. This reactive IT mindset led to late discovery of problems, longer failure recovery times and more revenue loss and damaged customer trust. Missing out on monitoring resulted in minor issues developing into catastrophes.  

How Monitoring Would Have Helped 

In all cases, real-time monitoring could have changed everything. Downtime would have been reduced or even avoided with the right kind of monitoring. The following features of data monitoring tools:  

• Warnings of anomalous behavior on the server
• Alerts of suspicious logins
• Automated Website uptime checks
• Early alerts before critical failures 

Best Practices in 2025 Monitoring 

Modern monitoring is not only for large corporations. Any business can implement it affordably and with ease. Best practices include 24/7 real-time network and system monitoring and automatic security patching to seal hacker access points. Additionally, partnering with experts also grants access to advanced tools and security measures that are difficult to maintain internally. Lastly, preventive maintenance rather than failure-based maintenance. All these measures reduce downtime and save costs in the long run.  

The Role of EB Solution as a Managed IT Provider 

A large number of SMBs lack their own IT department. That’s were EB Solution, a reliable MSP, steps in to help. We provide constant monitoring and proactive services. As such, rather than responding to failures, we prevent them by ensuring that problems are found and resolved before they become a big deal. These solutions provide insights and alerts that help protect your business and keep it running. 

Monitoring Tools That Work 

The following tools are worth checking in 2025. They provide solutions with insights and alerts that safeguard your operations. They are: 

• Real-time Network Management and Monitoring (RMM)
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
• Cloud-based uptime monitoring services.
• Automated backup/recovery systems

What to Do if You’re Not Monitoring Today 

Do not wait until a costly failure happens to get your business into the practice of monitoring. Start small: 

1. Get an audit of your existing IT systems and find out the gaps.
2. Set up simple uptime alerting on important services.
3. Seek the help of an MSP such as EB Solution to provide ongoing support.
4. Automate backups and test them regularly.

A hybrid approach, divided between some monitoring tools and some managed services, is much more protective than nothing. 

Summary: Eyes on = Money Saved 

The answer to the question of whether monitoring is optional has become clear based on these case studies: It is not. Each minute of downtime is associated with a loss of money, customers, and credibility. 

With IT monitoring of your business, you no longer face surprises, recovery takes a much shorter period, and you safeguard your bottom line. Don’t wait until a disaster. Get eyes on your systems before they cost you thousands. 

Call EB Solution to get a start in this today!