Kemp | Glossary of Terms and Phrases

MTTF is a measure of the length of time a component, device, or service should be expected to function before it needs to be replaced. For each item that is assigned an MTTF value, it will have been calculated as an average taken from the length of time thousands of similar items lasted in production use. MTTF values allow operations teams to estimate when an item is likely to fail and will enable them to replace it to guard against unplanned failure proactively. MTTF is usually used as a KPI for items that can’t be repaired if they fail but instead need to be replaced with a new item. For example a spinning hard disk or a light bulb. MTTF is often referred to as the average lifespan of a component.