Mean time to repair, more commonly known as MTTR, measures the average time to repair a system or equipment after failure. It is a crucial performance metric for any IT enterprise, as it includes the time it takes to detect a failure, diagnose and repair it. With some experts claiming that the average cost of downtime is $9,000 a minute, it’s important to take every precaution to reduce MTTR.
A higher MTTR may imply significant downtime and compromised reliable systems and equipment.
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What does MTTR mean?
MTTR starts when a failure is detected and ends when a system is restored. It includes the time it takes to diagnose the problem, repair it, and then test it to ensure that operations run as smoothly (or normally) as possible. As you can see, MTTR can be further distinguished into two different categories:
- Mean time to respond: This tracks the average time it takes for the IT team to respond to a newly opened ticket. For reference, NinjaOne boasts one of the fastest first-response times of under 30 minutes, while the average is 12 hours.
- Mean time to recovery: This measures the duration to restore a system to its full functionality.
While both categories overlap, each carries its own subtleties. Mean time to respond focuses on the initial action, and mean time to recovery specifically measures restoration to functionality, even if not fully resolved. Each metric serves a different purpose in assessing service performance and reliability.
MTTR is an important metric used in various settings; however, it is most associated with managing a service such as a SaaS, IaaS, or PaaS, assuring customers that a service can be delivered as promised.
How to calculate MTTR
When calculating MTTR, a lower number is preferable to a higher one, as:
- A low MTTR indicates that the system was offline (or in downtime) for a short period.
- A high MTTR indicates the opposite; and implies that end-users were inconvenienced for a longer time.
Mathematically, MTTR is calculated as:
MTTR = Total time elapsed as downtime / number of incidents
Or
MTTR = Total time elapsed as maintenance / number of repairs
For any compromised system, the MTTR includes the time from the moment of the incident to the time it returns to normalcy. It’s important to determine where bottlenecks occur so you and your IT team know specifically where to improve your processes.
MTTR vs MTBF
MTTR and MTBF (mean time between failures) are complementary metrics used to minimize downtime in IT operations. Whereas MTTR measures the average time it takes to restore a system or equipment from failure, MTBF represents the average time a system or component operates without failure, providing insight into overall reliability and how often issues occur. Together, MTTR and MTBF help MSPs and other service providers balance quick recovery with consistent, long-term performance.
Why you need to measure MTTR
It improves user experience
Unplanned and prolonged downtime can impact your end-user experience. The longer your end-users wait to use your service after an incident, the higher the risk of dissatisfaction. This could not only impact your overall reputation but could also lead to you losing customers.
It reduces downtime costs
As mentioned earlier, the average cost of downtime is $9,000 per minute. The longer it takes to recover from a security issue, the more expensive it will be for your company. We’re not just referring to price—long downtimes can result in lost productivity and customer dissatisfaction.
It strengthens operational efficiency
A low MTTR suggests that your business has effective repair and recovery processes, reducing downtime and allowing resources to be utilized more effectively. This leads to better operational efficiency.
It helps with employee productivity
MTTR is essential for internal systems and services. Disrupted service—especially in IT—can result in a loss in employee productivity. Repeatedly high MTTR can also lead to employees becoming frustrated and leaving your company.
It’s part of your SLA
Most service level agreements (SLAs) include an MTTR metric as a performance guarantee, with penalties for the service provider if the MTTR exceeds the agreed-upon threshold.
How to lower MTTR
There are no hard and fast rules on lowering MTTR, but there are some strategies to consider.
- Conduct a root-cause analysis: The first step in improving MTTR is through a root-cause analysis. This allows you to understand what caused a system to fail so you can implement appropriate safeguards to prevent it from recurring.
- Have a strong and comprehensive incident response plan: It’s wise to have a carefully planned disaster recovery plan, understand the different types of backup, and use the most suitable one for your specific needs. While no one can predict when a security incident may happen, you can take the necessary steps to minimize its impact.
- Learning from past incidents: Developing your knowledge base is a great idea. By logging and documenting past security incidents, you can develop a reference guide in case similar events arise.
- Consider modular redundancy: Adding modular redundancy may be cost-effective and improve greater resiliency to your IT environment. However, it’s highly recommended that you evaluate both MTTR and MTBF to ensure balanced, efficient system performance.
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How NinjaOne reduces MTTR
NinjaOne’s vulnerability management and mitigation tool minimizes exposure by using real-time monitoring, alerting, and powerful automation to quickly identify and resolve endpoint patching and configuration issues. The solution automatically notifies your IT team when a device, OS, or third-party application vulnerability is detected, so you can focus on what you do best.
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