The increasing complexity of IT has created a need for better IT support. This is because when an organisation needs to develop and implement new technologies, it also needs to ensure that its current technologies are supported, secure, and optimised.
With the right IT support solutions, you reduce your total IT spend. This is because you will have to pay for fewer repairs, less downtime, and less lost productivity.
IT errors are expensive
When it comes to your business’ IT infrastructure, it’s not just about how much the initial price is, but how much unexpected errors and breaks will impact your budget. There are a number of issues with billing, service, and support that can greatly impact the cost of fixing an error.
Data breaches in the UK over the last 12 months cost from £4200 to £19,400 depending on the size of the company. These are costly errors that could have been prevented by a simple change in procedures. Most organisations have experienced one or more IT security breaches in the recent past. These can range from simple mistakes with sensitive data to more serious issues that have led to employee data exposure or exposed your company’s data to the general public.
Apart from costly security breaches are the ramifications of faulty, outdated, or inept IT support systems or infrastructure. If your IT is constantly experiencing technical errors, it costs your business in terms of downtime, revenue loss, service delivery delays, and low productivity.
Effective IT support will turn all that around. By optimising your IT infrastructure, you will save costs in the long run, reduce downtime, and be able to focus on your core business goals rather than spending time fixing IT issues.
5 ways to reduce your IT costs
Invest in cloud computing
Cloud computing has become an essential part of most businesses. It allows you to reduce your upfront cost, increase scalability, and keep your data safe.
Cloud computing can bring significant IT cost savings to your business by moving away from on-premise servers and instead using servers that are hosted in the cloud. This saves businesses money in the long run as they don’t have to maintain expensive servers and infrastructure. Additionally, cloud computing allows businesses to take advantage of economies of scale when it comes to IT prices.
Proactive security prevents costly breaches
One of the biggest expenses for any company is those costly breaches that occur due to simple human error, system failure, or inadequate security. While proactive security procedures can often seem like a lot of work, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. An efficient IT system will help minimise costly security breaches.
By investing in proactive cyber security, you can ensure that your business is protected from cyber-attacks or threats before they occur. By taking steps to protect your business from cyber-attacks, you can lower your risk of costly security incidents, like phishing attacks, data breaches, or malware.
While proactive security is important, it is not enough to just secure your network. You also need to look at your IT processes and make sure that they are optimised for security.
Outsource to managed IT providers
Managed service providers (MSP) are a great option for businesses that need high-quality IT support but don’t have the budget to hire a full-time IT staff, or if you want to cut costs on software licensing. MSPs offer this type of support because they have the necessary staff, equipment, and resources in order to do so. This means that you don’t need to hire an in-house IT team or buy expensive equipment for your business in order to maintain your network security and stability.
With an MSP you will be billed a flat rate monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on your service level agreement (SLA). This allows you to factor your IT prices into your budget and avoid any unexpected bills if something should break, or needs updating.
Use open-source software
Open-source software is a software model that is free to use, and can be downloaded and modified by anyone. This model allows businesses to save money on IT spend, as they can use open-source software instead of buying expensive commercial software.
Open-source software comes with no licensing fees and you are free to use the software however you like. Many organisations have created custom-built software solutions for specific tasks, so it’s a good idea to evaluate options carefully. Always check the license agreement carefully to make sure you are aware of all the terms and conditions.
Optimise software and hardware
Software and hardware are constantly in need of upgrades, updates, and patches – all of which come with price tags. Optimising your IT infrastructure will help you plan for the future so you have less need to upgrade or buy new equipment every few months.
Optimising your software and hardware will go hand-in-hand with your long-term business plan. You’ll need to evaluate your current IT, research the best options that align with your business practices and daily operations, and plan steps to make a changeover.
While this may seem like a lot of work, it has strong pay-offs for your business. You will be able to reduce costs on software licensing, hardware maintenance, and increase the reliability of your systems and the lifespan of your equipment.
If you are unsure how to go about optimising your IT environment, managed IT providers have experience and expertise in IT strategising and planning.
Discover cost-effective IT support solutions
Investing in preventative maintenance and proactively checking your network for issues will pay off in the future by keeping your data secure, your network efficient, and your IT costs down.
The IT support specialists at NetworkIQ have all the experience, expertise, and resources to help you create a better IT environment for your business that will reduce IT support prices, increase productivity, and help you stay ahead of the competition.
Comments (3)
Harris
08/08/2022Some companies (still) don’t realize that IT errors are usually expensive and sometimes very expensive. Without having access to some very well prepared IT teams you will eventually get into trouble. The IT team of a company needs to constantly stay up to date with everything from current threats to working with different programs. It’s not easy and it’s definitely not cheap. That’s why I think most companies need outside help besides maybe having 1-2 people on their own IT team.
Carson
08/16/2022Ever since we’ve invested in cloud computing everything has changed. I didn’t think it would have such a huge impact (in a positive way) but it does. No more servers and infrastructure. And everything runs better and faster than ever.
Scott
08/20/2022Proactive prevention is better than just hoping your company won’t get attacked. It’s just a matter of time before someone attacks you so why wouldn’t you want to take as many steps as you can to reduce or eliminate that risk? It doesn’t matter how much prevention costs – it’s always 10 times or even 100 times cheaper than the alternative.