What is one major benefit of real-time monitoring in mission-critical systems?

Real-time monitoring in mission-critical systems is instrumental in allowing immediate detection of issues, which plays a pivotal role in preventing downtime. This capability is crucial because mission-critical systems are often essential to business operations; any downtime can lead to significant financial losses and operational disruptions. By continuously monitoring system performance, administrators can quickly identify anomalies or failures in the infrastructure, enabling them to respond proactively. This immediate intervention can involve alerting technical teams, deploying automated systems to mitigate the impact, or implementing corrective actions, thus maintaining system availability and performance.

In contrast, while the other options may seem beneficial, they do not accurately represent the primary advantage of real-time monitoring specifically. Decreasing the system's workload is not a direct outcome of monitoring; monitoring systems tend to operate as an overhead rather than reducing workload. Eliminating the need for backups contradicts standard IT practices, as backups are essential for data recovery and integrity regardless of monitoring capabilities. Lastly, while ensuring user access is critical, real-time monitoring primarily focuses on system health and performance rather than guaranteeing access for all users at all times.