If you’re a business owner, or the manager of a small-to-medium-sized company, you probably wondered whether there isn’t some way to cut your IT expenses without giving up the hardware, software, and devices you and your employees use every day. After all, technology is getting more efficient all the time. Why not look for ways to do more with less?
As it turns out, most companies can save money on technology without losing the tools or features they need to keep growing. If you’re interested in knowing how, it’s all about planning and efficiency. Here are four strategies we follow with our clients to help them shrink their budgets while still getting great technology and IT support…
#1 Yearly Technology Reviews and Budgeting
Lots of business owners have the sneaking suspicion that they’re spending too much money on technology, and many of them are right. Some are spending cash on hardware and software they
don’t need, while others are simply budgeting poorly and finding themselves paying out for unexpected upgrades on a regular basis.
A good outsourced IT partner will consult with you regularly to look over your budgets and planned upgrades. That way, they can help you spot potential areas for savings while making sure expenses line up with your overall business goals.
#2 Cloud Computing and Software Subscriptions
Once upon a time, getting current versions of software packages meant shelling out tons of money for CDs and workstation licenses. Now, with cloud computing and software subscriptions, you can always be up-to-date, and pay for software with low, predictable monthly or annual fees.
While a few companies are fighting this trend, the overall result has been software packages that cost a lot less than they used to. Your IT partner can help you find the applications you need, and they will fit your budget.
#3 Managed Services for Regular IT Care
If you’ve been in business for a while, you already know how crushing it can be to pay an IT provider (or multiple service personnel) to fix problems on a weekend or a holiday. That’s why so
many businesses are swapping billable IT hours for managed services agreements that are invoiced in predictable monthly amounts.
Managed services agreements save you cash, but also make IT care more proactive. That’s important, because it leads us to the biggest and most expensive item on the list. Let’s address that one last.
#4 A Focus on Every Day Consistency
Believe it or not, the most expensive part of managing IT usually has to do with overcoming emergencies and unexpected outages (websites are down, emails that won’t send, telephone systems that are off-line, and so on). That’s partly because each of these requires emergency IT care if you aren’t on a managed services agreement, but also because they keep you and your employees from being productive.
By keeping companies running smoothly, we can help them save tens of thousands of dollars – or more – and losses that wouldn’t have shown up on a balance sheet.
The Bottom Line on Lowered IT Costs
One thing you’ll notice about these four strategies is that they focus on solid business fundamentals rather than slick gimmicks. Because technology keeps getting better and better, we help smart business owners and executives to take advantage of the right solutions in a cost-effective way. In other words, it’s all about the right advice, information, and focus, rather than cutting costs in ways that hurt productivity later.
If you think your small or medium-sized business could benefit from this type of attention, and want to look for ways to lower your IT costs in 2018, we encourage you to reach out to our team today. Each initial consultation is free, with no obligation, and we might be able to find a number of ways to help you save money this year!