Why Does Technology Break?

Why Does Technology Break?

customer service team
Despite the preventative efforts made, some of your company’s computer technology (a.k.a. information technology, or IT) will eventually break or malfunction. Whether that’s your Wi-Fi no longer providing internet access, or a program on your computer freezing, the feeling we have about this is the same:

Why is my IT breaking?

To understand why IT breaks, we need to update our understanding of IT. On the outside, computer technology appears simple. For example, you simply click a button on your computer screen with your mouse, and an email is sent. But, underneath the hood, how is that email actually sent? How does that email end up in the recipient’s inbox? Answering that question requires a certain level of expertise that a layman isn’t expected to know. This is similar to how most people wouldn’t really be able to explain in-depth how cars produce movement. Just like a car, IT is complex, with many parts that work together to produce a desired end result. If any of these many parts stop working correctly, there is risk of the IT failing to function properly.

Finding and implementing IT solutions

The job of any IT professional is to find solutions and implement them. The solutions can be proactive, such as setting up a new data backup system—or reactive, such as fixing IT problems that emerge in real time. In an ideal world, every IT solution would solve current problems and try to prevent future problems from occurring. However, there’s not one industry out there that’s able to operate long-term with that track record. Most companies just aren’t able to spend an ideal amount of time on every concern or problem that pops up. It’s no different for IT.

IT problems exist on multiple levels

In the case of IT, problems can exist on the surface and—sometimes—on a deeper level. Surface problems have to be fixed, but deeper problems can remain and often contribute to future problems. Fixing deeper problems is ideal, but is often time-consuming and only possible when there is time available to do so.