A report by the Office for National Statistics showed that between October and December 2017, over £13 billion was spent on IT equipment, machinery and other equipment by businesses across the UK.
Sometimes, it can be hard to maintain control over financial budgets, especially when it comes to investing in new technologies.
That’s why this month we wanted to explore some of the strategies you could implement to reduce the costs of updating your company systems. As a technology reseller, we regularly speak to customers who need help with enhancing their technology, especially if they’re working with a tighter budget.
Analyse your existing infrastructure
When you’re monitoring your IT costs, it’s important that you consider what pieces of equipment you already have to see if they need upgrading to a more efficient model.
One of the most telling signs that your corporate IT needs to be upgraded is when there is a significant disconnect between the technology your employees use at work and the tech they use at home. The time to upgrade technologies is when your operations are taking too long and costing too much.
For example, if a suite of older laptops regularly need updates and is slowing down, maybe it’s time to upgrade all of the models. This investment might seem strange, but the long-term impact on employee productivity can only benefit your business.
Start developing an inventory
To effectively monitor and reduce the costs of your company systems, you need to make sure that you have an inventory of all your existing pieces of hardware and software.
This detailed inventory list could include:
- Operating system versions or model numbers
- CPU, memory and hard drive capacity
- The date it was purchased
- When software (if any) was installed
- The date of warranty expires
Once the list has been completed, you’re able to refer back to it should any pieces of technology become unreliable or slow down during operation. This predictive rather than reactive approach will help unnecessary, or unplanned, maintenance and replacement costs.
Change your communication systems
If your office operates a traditional phone line, then switching to a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. In the simplest terms, this is a telephone service that works over an Internet connection.
Traditionally, phones use an analogue signal to transmit the sound of your voice, but this isn’t the case with VoIP systems. They convert these sounds into a digital format before sending it on to its destination.
This technology has been around for a while, but in recent years it’s become even more popular because of the lower cost to the user, as well as its versatility. If you’ve never heard of VoIP before, then think about Skype calls. That’s exactly how that technology works.
Take a collaborative approach
If your business is fairly small, or you simply don’t have the time and resources to invest in upgrading your equipment, then now could be the time to adopt a collaborative approach and work with a technology reseller.
For example, we regularly work with organisations to source the most appropriate business IT supplies straight from the manufacturers.
There are plenty of benefits to this, not least that any potential savings are passed onto our customers. They’re still able to increase their business IT supplies, but don’t spend the same as they would going through the traditional channels.
Think about the future, not just the now
If you make the choice to upgrade equipment, it’s critical that you take into consideration the need for future upgrades and the associated maintenance costs.
For example, if you’re looking for a new server, then go for one with the largest capacity that you can reasonably afford. This means that you’re ultimately reducing the time and resources spent on increasing them one or two years down the line.
In summary, any choice you make when it comes to upgrading your company systems needs to be in line with your long-term IT strategy. If it’s not, then you’re going to be spending money that could otherwise be reinvested in your company’s growth.
However, if you don’t have the time to research new technologies for yourself, then we’re able to help.
We have extensive experience working with organisations or all shapes and sizes to source the newest technology to suit most budgets. Take a look here to find out more, or get in touch with a member of our team today.
