As we enter budgeting season, you may be eyeing your IT costs and wondering if there is any way to minimize those line items. Here at Weber TC, we believe we should function just as much as your IT consultant as your IT service provider. Part of our advice to any client is to approach your IT spending strategically and thoughtfully, knowing that you are investing in a system that will enable your success and protecting yourselves from costly cyber threats.
We have taken the time to define our spending approach and have developed four steps to take when reevaluating your IT budget. Though we can’t promise these steps will save you tons of money, they will get you on track for investing in reliable IT services. If you’d like help evaluating what IT services best fit your company, give us a call, and we would be happy to help you out.
Step 1: Audit your existing services and expenses.
Take a look at your current technology solutions. You want to fully understand everything you spent money on and begin to evaluate if it has been effective or worth it.
When evaluating, ask yourself these questions:
• Is this the right system for my business? Does it accomplish all I need it to?
• Are we currently utilizing all the tools we are paying for? Can we cut any?
• Do we lack internal processes? Are there ways I can improve efficiency and save our employee’s time?
Step 2: Find redundant or unnecessary services and cut them.
If it isn’t working for you, don’t waste your money on it. We find that sometimes businesses continue paying for IT services that they know they aren’t effectively utilizing because they don’t know if there is another solution out there and don’t have the time to research. Work with a professional IT provider like us. We can help you evaluate your current solutions’ effectiveness, eliminate any unnecessary, redundant tools, and even offer suggestions for more efficient and reliable solutions.
Step 3: Understand the difference between short-term and long-term savings.
We always recommend that you avoid a break-fix mentality. Paying for fixes as they pop up is usually less cost-effective in the long run than investing in a reliable and sustainable IT solution for your business and having your provider perform regular maintenance to keep everything running smoothly. Similar to upkeep for your car- changing your oil regularly keeps everything running smoothly and helps you avoid a more catastrophic break in the future.
Step 4: Don’t leave yourself vulnerable to a cyberattack.
60% of small businesses go under within six months of a cyberattack. Though a lot of advertising for cybersecurity services is aggressive, it is not incorrect. Cyberattacks are on the rise. It is no longer a question of if you will experience an attack, but when. Leaving your business exposed can be extremely costly. Undoing the harm caused by a cyberattack (if it can be undone) takes time and money. It is much more effective just to put preventative security in place.
We could go on and on, but these are the steps we believe will have the most impact on reducing your costs. We would love to continue the conversation with you. If you’re hesitant about tackling this problem on your own, that’s okay! We encourage you to give us a call. We can help you identify these problems and guide you on how to solve them.