The Real Cost of Downtime: Why Chicago Businesses Are Investing in Managed IT

Downtime refers to any period when your systems are unavailable or not functioning properly. It might be an internet outage that stops communication, a server crash that locks you out of key applications, or a ransomware attack that halts your operations entirely.

The financial impact is immediate and compounding.

• Revenue loss: Every minute your team can’t process orders, serve clients, or close deals, you lose money.
• Productivity drain: Staff are left idle or forced to create workarounds.
• Brand damage: Delays or disruptions impact customer confidence.

Let’s put it into perspective: A business with 50 employees making an average of $50/hour could lose $2,000+ per hour of downtime. That doesn’t include lost sales or recovery costs. In industries like law, finance, or logistics, where time is quite literally money, that number can skyrocket.

One Chicago-based firm we worked with experienced a ransomware attack that locked them out of email, files, and communication tools for 7 full days. Delays in contacting cyber insurance, waiting for legal approvals, and restoring data cost them both productivity and client confidence. While they recovered in a week, others can take months to recover lost revenue.