Technology has always been helmed as the key to cutting costs when running a business. However, many companies end up struggling with the technical operating costs associated with technology. These costs can make up for a major chunk of your IT budget. The good news is, with the right technological solutions and qualified IT consultants in place, these costs can be dramatically reduced.
Let’s take a look at how:
Evaluating Current Technological Expenses
Companies with complex technology infrastructure automatically generate high technology costs. If you are looking to reduce these costs, then you must gain a thorough understanding of your technology infrastructure. This can involve the following:
- How much do you spend on maintenance?
- How much do you pay your IT personnel?
- What is the cost of outsourcing your IT operations?
- Are there any system redundancies you should be aware of?
- How much does data storage cost you?
- How many applications are in use?
Most small businesses incur high technological costs due to the factors mentioned above. Their IT personnel may be inefficient, or they may be using an unnecessary amount of applications for their operations. Data storage using traditional methods can also incur high costs. Additionally, a lot of companies spend more on last-minute repairs than they do on year-round maintenance.
These drawbacks in your technology infrastructure can contribute to your overall operating expenses. Employing the right solutions to help resolve these issues can help you reduce these costs.
Cost-Cutting Solutions: What Are Your Options?
Once you have identified the unnecessary operating posts, incurred due to your ineffective technology infrastructure, you can consider the following cost-cutting solutions:
Making Use of Cloud Computing
If you are struggling with technical operating hosts, costs due to data storage, then using a cloud server is the answer. You can take help from a cloud computing company for this. A cloud server essentially acts as a third-party hosting site that lets you store your data in a secure manner. This can help reduce the burden on your company’s IT systems.
Cloud storage also comes with a high level of security. This means that you get to reduce your data security costs as well. As per the research conducted, moving to the Cloud can help you reduce your operating costs by 16.18 percent. It can also help you reduce the expenses incurred due to IT maintenance by 16.76 percent.
Besides cloud computing, you can make use of sophisticated backup and data recovery solutions that help provide additional protection to your data.
Consider Outsourcing
Instead of hiring more IT personnel, you can consider outsourcing your IT management services. This can only help reduce the operating costs associated with utilities and use of office equipment. These qualified professionals can carry out the ongoing maintenance of your IT systems as well. As mentioned earlier, many small businesses end up spending a large amount of their IT budget on last-minute repair services. Taking a proactive approach regarding maintenance is much smarter.
A good tech-support company will help you monitor your IT systems and detect problems beforehand. More than that, they can redesign your entire IT infrastructure and make it more efficient. This involves getting rid of any system redundancies, cutting back on application usage, and providing cloud computing for data storage. You can also utilize their networking services for improved access to applications and efficient flow of information.
Working with a company that offers IT management services can help in the standardization of your IT infrastructure as well. They can help introduce a level of consistency in the different software and hardware applications used by your company. This can improve efficiency. Standardization is also very important for optimizing operating costs and saving time.
Be Proactive in Your Network Management
Having access to a stable and secure network is very important. You must make sure to outsource your network management to skilled IT consultants. This is because if your IT personnel are unable to manage your network properly, then you get exposed to costly downtime.
The key to strong network management is taking on a proactive approach. You must monitor your network to identify any anomalous activities on a real-time basis. This can help you identify a potential breach in the network while it is still in its nascent stages. Timely management of breaches can create a significant impact on the operating cost incurred as well. A proactive approach can help prevent the potential losses associated with a mega breach in your network.
Reducing the Number of Tools and Applications
The tools that you use for network monitoring, troubleshooting, and other functions are important as well. Introducing a new tool may contribute to speeding up a process. However, you must also factor in the time and operating costs that is involved in the purchase, learning, maintenance, and integration of these tools in your IT infrastructure.
This is why standardization is so important. You must identify which tools are redundant in terms of use or do not help improve your operational efficiency by a certain degree. This can help you cut down on the number of tools and applications and save operating costs.
Final Thoughts on Operating Costs
If your company incurs high technical operating costs, then evaluating your existing IT infrastructure is very important. You must understand how the different layers in your technology infrastructure contribute to the total amount of operating costs generated. A lot of companies spend an excessive amount of money on data storage, backup, and recovery functions. Such companies must consider cloud computing as a potential solution for data storage and security. Other problems include a lack of skilled IT personnel, ineffective network management, and using too many applications. In this case, we suggest outsourcing your IT management services. This can help you tap into benefits like:
- Proactive network monitoring and troubleshooting
- Year-round maintenance of IT systems
- Standardization of hardware and software applications used in the organization
- Cloud computing
If you are looking to outsource the management of your IT infrastructure, we suggest you get in touch with our team at Northwest Remote Offices, LLC We can help you redesign and improve your IT infrastructure to reduce costs and enhance the efficiency of your IT operations.
