The Business Cost of Everyday Tech Interruptions

Working without access to email, shared files, or core business apps slows work immediately. The impact spreads across teams quickly because tasks depend on others being able to respond, approve, or complete their part.

Where interruptions show up and add up

Most interruptions aren’t dramatic outages. They show up in many small ways throughout the day. These are some of the common issues staff run into:

• Connectivity problems: weak Wi-Fi, VPN drops, or slow network speeds that affect cloud apps.
• Application access problems: apps not loading, authentication issues, timeouts, or login loops.
• File and data access problems: files not opening or syncing, version issues, or loss of access to shared folders.
• Account or credential problems: MFA failures, password lockouts, or missing/expired licenses.
• Permission or configuration problems: incorrect access rights or settings that block required tools.

Any one of these slows tasks, delays responses, and disrupts decision making. People wait, restart devices, or look for workarounds.

Small delays ripple through teams

ReA single issue affects more than one person. For example:

• A manager can’t approve an expense or timesheet
• A salesperson can’t respond to a client
• Operations waiting on updated files or numbers
• Finance waits on access to systems

Even a short delay for one person can create secondary delays for others. This chain effect is often where the largest cost appears for businesses.

Calculating the real cost of IT interruptions

There are a few factors that shape the real cost of an interruption. You can use these to estimate the impact without doing a full calculation.

1. The cost of the person who encounters the problem
This includes wages, benefits, and overhead. Many roles in Western Canada land between $40–$70/hour, with entry-level roles often between $25–$35/hour.

2. The length of the interruption
Some issues last five minutes, others last thirty. Some can even go on for days. The longer the delay, the higher the cost. The time it takes for IT to diagnose and resolve the issue is part of this total.

3. The number of people affected by the ripple effect
Work often depends on timely approvals, responses, or updates. When one person is delayed, others wait too.

4. The cost of those additional people
If two or three roles are held up, their hourly cost adds directly to the overall impact.

5. How much of their work actually stops
Not every issue stops work entirely. A realistic way to handle this is to estimate the percentage of productive time lost with ranges such as 25–50% productivity loss during a minor interruption and 60–80% loss when a core app is unavailable.

6. The direct business impact when time sensitive work is delayed
Some interruptions affect more than productivity. Missed client communication, delayed proposals, late deliverables, or slow follow-ups can all translate into real financial loss. When interruptions affect moments that matter like renewal conversations, onboarding steps, or submission deadlines, the cost is much higher than wages alone.

Using these factors together gives a clear picture of how even small interruptions add up. A short delay for one person becomes a meaningful cost when several people are waiting.

Example 1: A small issue that stretches across a team

A staff member can’t access a shared file for 2 hours. Their hourly cost is $45/hour. Three colleagues are waiting on the updated file. During this time, the person with the issue loses about 50% of their productive time, and the colleagues lose about 25% of theirs.

• Cost of the affected employee: $45 × 2 × 50% = $45.00
• Cost of three colleagues: (3 × $45 × 2 × 25%) = $67.50

Total cost: about $110 for this interruption

Example 2: A larger issue that lasts longer

A key app fails for 8 hours. The employee affected costs $60/hour. Two managers who rely on their work cost $70/hour each. Because the app is central to the role, the affected employee loses about 80% of their productive time, and the managers lose about 50%.

• Cost of the affected employee: $60 × 8 × 80% = $384
• Cost of two managers: (2 × $70 × 8 × 50%) = $560
• Direct business impact: a missed deadline on a client proposal puts an important deal at risk = $???

Total cost: about $950 +++ for one full-day incident Even small delays become expensive when work depends on timely responses and shared tools.  If your business is encountering these delays weekly or even daily, lost productivity costs are quickly adding up. 

Reliable IT reduces these interruptions

A consistent IT support model helps prevent many of the issues described above. When devices are maintained, accounts are managed properly, and problems are resolved quickly, the interruptions that slow work become far less common. Staff spend more time doing their jobs and less time working around technology that isn’t behaving the way it should.

Reliable IT also means access issues are spotted earlier. A pattern of slow logins, recurring permission problems, or frequent connectivity drops is identified before it becomes a larger disruption.

Horizon TotalCare: A predictable way to reduce day-to-day tech friction

Horizon TotalCare provides a fixed-fee approach to managing the digital basics that support everyday work. The service keeps accounts, devices, updates, permissions, and access organized and maintained so staff can work without unnecessary slowdowns.

The result is a more predictable workday and fewer interruptions that create hidden costs.  Horizon supports businesses in Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and the surrounding areas.