Genius Ways to Save Money on IT Services (Guide for Small Business Owners)
The average IT spend across all industries combined is 8.2 percent of revenue. On paper, this might not sound like a lot – but it truly is. It’s also a testament to how important IT services have become in the modern age. Quite simply, a business can’t survive without them. If you remove IT from the equation, then all of the computer systems would come crashing down, making it impossible for businesses to do anything.
Despite how important IT services are, thousands of businesses around the world don’t realize that they’re actually overspending on the services that they use. Your business might be burning a hole in its wallet, too, which is hardly ideal in the current economic climate, where most organizations are trying to save as much money as possible.
If you’re currently scratching your head, wondering how exactly you can save money on IT services, you’ll be happy to learn that help is here. This article has gathered together a short list of genius ways that you can save money on IT without having to compromise your business in any shape or form.
As soon as you’re ready, go ahead and dive into the details!
Switch to Edge Computing
Over the past 10 years, it’s highly likely that you started using cloud computing and have stuck with it ever since. Although “the cloud” comes with a lot of benefits, such as increased flexibility, you can also experience exciting benefits by switching to edge computing.
If you try edge computing, you’ll use edge devices to process your data locally (on-site) instead of relying on faraway cloud servers. As a result, this means that you’ll send less data to the cloud and save tons of money due to the fact that less data is being sent. It’s simple yet incredibly effective. The key is to use specialists like Things Embedded so that you can find the specific edge computing solution that you need. Once implemented, you can start to experience the endless benefits that come with it – including cost savings.
It’s worth mentioning that cloud and edge computing are totally different from each other – but one can’t replace the other entirely. In a nutshell, edge computing processes time-sensitive data, whereas cloud computing processes all data.
Outsource the Management of Your IT System
These days, outsourcing is extremely popular. In many cases, it’s actually more cost-effective to outsource your IT rather than having it managed in-house by specific employees. For example, there are countless companies out there that can do this for you, from managing network security to backing up important data.
Typically, if you opt to outsource your IT, you can expect 24/7 monitoring. This means that any data breaches or other security issues can be immediately identified and handled, which is great for the safety of your employees and customers!
Create an IT Budget
Upon wider analysis, you might quickly discover that you’re spending too much money on your IT, such as expensive on-site servers or unnecessary software. The best thing to do in this situation is to eliminate what you no longer need and then create a brand-new IT budget to stick to moving forward. After all, budgeting is important – especially for small businesses.
Try Virtual Desktops
Switching your employees to virtual desktops can also help to save you a lot of money.
A virtual desktop is a computer that’s accessed exclusively over the internet. The hardware, operating system, and everything else in between are accessed via the cloud from any device you like. This allows you to reduce costs and boost your workplace flexibility, which might be appealing to you if you’re a big organization with lots of employees.