5 Ways to lower your business’s IT costs

5 Ways to lower your business’s IT costs

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IT is vital to the efficiency, profitability, resiliency, and security of today’s businesses. Unfortunately, investing and maintaining IT systems can quickly drive up costs. Upfront expenses on hardware, software, and web services alone can cost your business a lot of money. When you take into account associated costs, such as space, utilities, maintenance, upgrades, and the salary of IT personnel, then you could be looking at several thousand dollars in expenses annually. For this reason, you need to be strategic about managing your business’s IT costs. The following tips will help you do exactly that:

1. Evaluate your existing infrastructure against your IT needs

One way to effectively lower costs is to do away with redundant or unnecessary IT systems. Review every component of your current IT infrastructure and determine how much money you’re spending on each of these. Then, see if the utility you get from these components justifies their cost. For instance, it’s possible that your business is wasting money running five in-house servers when you only need three.

You can seek the assistance of managed IT services providers (MSP) like Complete Technology to assess the cost of your IT infrastructure relative to your company’s needs. With an expert assessment, you can then determine your best course of action. You may find that you need to overhaul redundant systems or upgrade underperforming components to enhance the value your business derives from them.

2. Eliminate redundancy by consolidating vendors

It’s not uncommon for some companies to use products and services from different vendors. For example, they may use one vendor’s firewall, another manufacturer’s anti-malware tool, a different virtual private network (VPN), and so on. Although this strategy can help you meet unique requirements, it can also lead to expensive inefficiencies and mishaps. Disparate security products may end up being incompatible with each other, creating vulnerabilities that increase your company’s risk of falling victim to costly cyberattacks.

Address this issue by turning to vendors that offer several IT products and services your business needs at the same time. Most anti-malware software manufacturers today also offer firewalls, VPNs, encryption, and other cybersecurity solutions. Consolidating vendors not only minimizes the risk of inefficiencies and incompatibilities, but it can also get you entitled to discounts and other amazing deals.

3. Review service level agreements (SLAs)

An SLA defines the type and quality of service that third-party providers like MSPs, software vendors, and cloud providers are required to provide to your business. Examine SLAs you have with your business’s providers and see if you’re getting your money’s worth. It’s possible that you’re paying for a service you should but aren’t getting, such as 24/7 support. You may also be being charged for a service you’re not actually using, such as support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, when your company does not use IoT at all.

4. Look for cloud-based alternatives

The variety of cloud-based solutions has been steadily increasing over the years, to the point where there is practically a cloud service for any IT-related need. Not only are these solutions accessible from anywhere through an internet-connected device — making them great for flexibility — but they tend to be cheaper than their physical counterparts too. For example, virtual servers function exactly like physical servers, but without the hefty hardware, utility, and maintenance costs. Virtual desktops, on the other hand, are software versions of your desktop computers. These allow your staff to securely access work apps and files using their personal devices, eliminating the need to issue company computers if you have remote or hybrid workers.

5. Outsource to an MSP

You may feel compelled to hire new IT personnel to handle your business’s changing needs, but doing so can be expensive. IT professionals command considerable salaries and benefits, and you want to be competitive in these aspects if you want to attract talent who can handle advanced tech needs.

Outsourcing your IT needs to an MSP gives you outstanding IT expertise for a much lower cost. MSPs are typically composed of professionals who are highly trained in various fields of IT, so you are assured that all your company’s IT needs are covered. These IT specialists also work remotely, so you don’t have to worry about added office space and utility expenses. What’s more, MSPs charge a flat monthly fee that’s only a fraction of what you’d spend when hiring new IT personnel.

IT isn’t always cheap, but it doesn’t have to be a financial burden. At Complete Technology, we deliver high-quality IT services that are well worth your investment and which will help you achieve your company’s goals. Get affordable IT solutions that work for your company by contacting us today.