It’s ironic, but one of the easiest ways to waste money is by not spending any of it in the first place. That’s certainly true with IT, where many otherwise smart and successful business owners and executives wouldn’t dream of hiring an IT consultant. After all, if you don’t have any problems with your technology right now, then it’s a waste of money… isn’t it?
Actually, the reality is that most of the companies we begin working with and consulting for are already wasting all kinds of money, the only problem is that they don’t know it. Here are a few common examples:
They are paying too much for the wrong hardware. When you don’t have an IT background, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to buy the latest and greatest piece of computer hardware, when other, more reliable and cost-effective options are available. A good outsourced IT provider will help you to make the most of your budget and match your hardware needs.
They are wasting money on expensive communications systems. Likewise, advancements like VOIP telephone systems have made voice and data communications more consistent and less expensive than ever before – regardless of whether you make calls to your local area or halfway around the world. Your IT team can probably set you up with a better plan than you’re using right now, and one that will be easier on your bottom line.
They are suffering way too much downtime. As we’ve written in the past, having unplanned downtime on your network, servers, and other systems is one of the biggest profit-killers out there. That’s because it leaves your employees idle, while your fixed costs keep increasing. A good IT consultant can smooth out rough patches to ensure less downtime and better technology performance.
They are not taking advantage of cost-effective cloud software. Cloud-based software isn’t just changing the way we work, but also how businesses budget for things like software and support. If you haven’t already traded in high renewal and upgrade costs for the consistency of a callout system, then talk to an IT consultant about making the switch and saving some money.
They are missing out on more efficient technology for business goals. Although this is more subtle, the fact is that a lot of companies are taking advantage of the hardware and software they could be using to accomplish their business goals. By working with a reputable and experienced IT consultant, they could be using technology as a springboard to better business performance, not a regular expense to be budgeted for.
If you’re curious about IT consulting, and want to see how cost-effective it can really be for your organization, contact us today to discuss our simple and affordable packages.
