These Are the 10 Most Common IT Issues
IT downtime remains one of the greatest hidden costs for businesses. Through an exclusive initial market survey, CloudSecureTech put IT systems to the test.
- What devices/systems cause the most downtime?
- Are there any discernable patterns in downtime?
The findings? User-facing technologies, network infrastructure challenges, and seasonality factors are just the tip of the iceberg.
This article is part of the ‘What’s Got Your Business Looking So Down(time)? (2025)’ series of articles based on market research conducted by CloudSecureTech.
Email Disruptions Continue to Lead Downtime
Email service downtime accounted for 15.6% of the issues reported in our research, dominating as the most frequent cause of downtime in 2024. When email goes down, businesses are forced to halt vital communication.
Sales teams can’t follow leads, customer service stalls, and leadership struggles to coordinate effectively. For many organizations, this disrupts projects and grinds operations to a near standstill.
The prominence of email downtime is no surprise given the operational reliance on it. Common culprits include server overloads, configuration errors, or even outdated software.
Complicating matters further, cloud-hosted email systems like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace can experience provider outages that businesses have little control over. This is a significant risk factor as organizations become increasingly reliant on third-party systems.
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Device Issues Drain Productivity
Laptops (10.4%) and desktops (8.6%) collectively contribute to nearly 19% of downtime, reflecting their vital role in day-to-day operations. These endpoints are often the first touchpoint for employees, and when they fail, work grinds to a halt.
From hardware failures to outdated drivers and operating systems, user devices are one of the most consistent trouble areas in IT portfolios.
Hybrid work arrangements have only added to the complexity. Employees working remotely tend to delay reporting issues, further aggravating device outages. For example, a lagging laptop may seem minor at first but could soon escalate into lost hours troubleshooting a device or migrating data to a replacement.
VPN Failures Interrupt Hybrid Work
VPN downtime, accounting for 5.3% of issues, is a growing issue as hybrid and remote work dominate workforce trends. These secure access tunnels are critical for remote workers accessing on-premises resources, yet they also represent a substantial risk if not managed properly. VPN failures disrupt operations for entire teams, especially during peak hours.
Our data showed mid-year spikes in VPN issues, particularly in March, April, and July, when workloads rise or temporary teams onboard for seasonal tasks. Causes include overloaded servers, misconfigured security protocols, and unscalable VPN hardware.
These issues often correlate with businesses failing to align demand scaling with infrastructure optimization.
To combat VPN downtime, focus on scalability. Ensure your VPN can handle increasing connections during seasonal shifts. Regular capacity testing and patching of vulnerabilities are a must.
Network Failures Still Linger
Networks remain the backbone of any IT environment, yet 4.2% of downtime cases stemmed directly from connectivity problems. A server is only as good as its ability to communicate efficiently, and when a network fails, the ripple effect is seen across applications, devices, and even customer-facing systems.
Causes of network downtime vary widely but commonly involve misconfigured hardware, outdated software, and external ISP issues. For instance, an incorrectly routed VLAN in a mid-sized company recently took an entire regional sales team offline for over two days.
Investing in software-defined networking (SDN) solutions and end-to-end monitoring tools ensures faster identification and resolution of network issues. Offloading critical internet dependency with redundancy plans can also help manage external disruption, ensuring minimal downtime for your business operations.
Seasonality in Downtime?
Is there a clearly identifiable pattern to IT issues and downtime? It’s too early to say. Whereas our analysis highlights the presence of patterns, a clearer picture of seasonality will form only once we are able to compare data across multiple years. Stay tuned for CloudSecureTech’s upcoming market analysis for more insights into downtime patterns.
Regardless, a standout lesson is the criticality of planning. Too often, businesses react to downtime rather than proactively address it during quieter periods.
Our analysis highlighted is how deeply interconnected IT systems have become. User-facing devices tied into VPNs running on network pipelines means a failure in one area often bleeds into others.
The need for proactive, end-to-end visibility is now non-negotiable for businesses looking to minimize IT downtime.
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