A recent article showed that US businesses may have to reassess their IT budget as they take a 20% hit due to a strong US dollar.
We know this won’t affect everyone, especially in the UK, but who doesn’t want to free up more capital to make their budget go further. In this article, we will suggest some executable ideas that will shed some pounds out of a saturated IT budget.
Colocation
Colocation can make some big savings. By moving your equipment to a data centre, you can reduce your electricity bill as you don’t have to pay for power and cooling of your equipment.
Colocation also benefits insurance as being in a secure environment means reduced premiums.
Colocation will also reduce maintenance costs of your hardware because they will be running in optimal conditions. You could also save time as data centres provide expert support within the service. The old saying time is money could really apply here.
Virtualization
Virtualization can reduce a business’s energy consumption by 50% because the hardware is being utilised more efficiently. The utilisation of the average server is around 15%. Virtualization can increase utilisation fourfold which also allows for a reduction of hardware. Virtualization can be applied to most on/off devices.
Delay non-essential expenses
This may seem like an obvious option but what isn’t so obvious is deciding what is non-essential and can be postponed. Some initial options are not to upgrade hardware or add new software. Postponing spending on aspects like minor software enhancements allows more of your budget to keep focused on the vital elements of your business. Every business is different so we can’t offer a direct solution without looking at your current infrastructure, but a solution could be taking on dedicated servers whereby the hardware is fully maintained for you.
Improvements
This one I suppose is the opposite of the previous point but it all depends on what you want to gain and how much wiggle room you currently have. Given the theme of the article, the improvement should aim to save you money in the long run. Assess your current infrastructure, determine whether you can or need to make any improvements and double check the upgrade is necessary. We here at Datacentreplus offer a free service where we can suggest ways to improve whilst at the same time making savings.
Outsourcing help desk
Outsourcing the help-desk or parts of the help-desk allows you to pay for only what you need. If you’re a business with a multiple tier help-desk then outsourcing your bottom tier will allow your experts to focus only high priority issues.
Conclusion
There isn’t a definite answer to how to reduce the budget and every business can save money in different ways. The options given are just the most likely opportunities, that won’t have a massive effect on your business but will on your pocket. The best advice we can give is to not rush into making cuts or purchases. Sit down asses your situation, speak with the affected staff and don’t leave anything to chance. We can offer advice and guidance on how you can improve staff experience whilst not breaking the bank.
For any assistance don’t hesitate to contact datacentreplus. We are here to help.
