Network Downtime in Government Department :an Investigation of this common Phenomenon with suggestion of best practices and best technologies

Abstract

Network downtime is the period in which a computer system is unavailable or system fails to provide/perform its primary functions. System reliability and/or availability are very Key as an unavailable system is a failing system. It is very common is Botswana for government clients to forfeit being serviced because the government department system is down. The primary aim of this project was to investigate the causes of system/network downtimes in Botswana government department. Three government departments were targeted along with three system stakeholders who the researcher distinguished them as a technical User, a user and a client. The study showed the concerning results that justifies that system downtimes in government department is very frequent and also it can take some time before downtime is resolved. Common causes of downtime in government departments were identified and with the help of literature the researcher recommended how the causes can be mitigated.