Seven Ways to Save Money on IT Without Compromising Performance
Demand for digital transformation and cybersecurity is soaring. The good news is you can save money on IT without compromising your practice’s digital performance.
1.
SWITCH TO VOIP PHONE SERVICES
You may pay too much for communication if you still rely on the traditional telephone system to make business calls. It's about time you switched to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), the most cost-effective telephone system for business. VoIP providers say you can slash your monthly telecom costs by more than half by adopting internet-based phones.
In addition to cost savings, VoIP has many valuable features, such as virtual meetings, video/audio conferencing, automated call routing and answering, voicemail-to-email, and call analytics.
2.
DITCH PHYSICAL WORKSTATIONS FOR VIRTUAL DESKTOPS
Getting a desktop or laptop computer for every employee can be expensive. So, rather than purchasing the hardware, signing users onto virtual desktops makes more economic sense. A virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a computer operating environment that runs on a "thin" endpoint, which only supports WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) interactions.
3.
MIGRATE TO THE CLOUD
Besides virtual desktops, the cloud provides several other cost-cutting IT capabilities, including virtual data storage, systems development and hosting platforms, and virtual workplaces. Enterprise cloud services are invaluable when it comes to cost saving. It's one of the main reasons enterprises are keen on moving their workloads and data to the cloud.
4.
UPGRADE YOUR AGING HARDWARE
It might seem counterintuitive to buy new hardware to cut costs. But saving money on IT services starts with updating all your old equipment. Older hardware is often inefficient, slow, and prone to downtime, costing more to run than newer equipment. Plus, outdated IT systems are more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
While you can't focus on the cost of IT performance, running your IT processes on the latest systems makes for a better bottom line. It could be through lower energy consumption, faster workflows, or higher quality outputs.
5.
KEEP UP WITH SECURITY UPDATES
Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly rampant, sophisticated, and devastating. According to IBM, a single data breach costs $4.35 million on average. That's a financial loss you don't want to risk. Reinforce your cybersecurity posture in the following ways to avoid falling victim to crippling cyber incidents:
Educate your employees on cybersecurity
Install the latest firewalls, antimalware tools, and threat detection systems
Continuously back up all your data
Secure your endpoints and networks
Implement robust authentication systems, preferably multi-factor authentication
Enforce a strict zero-trust security policy
Evaluate and update your cybersecurity posture regularly
6.
REVIEW YOUR SOFTWARE LICENSES
Audit your software and user licenses to determine how much you spend on software applications. From there, you can determine what's worth paying for while considering less expensive alternatives. For instance, you might come across inactive user accounts, redundant services, or unnecessary software licenses that only pile on the IT budget.
7.
GET PROACTIVE SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES
Proactive IT support and maintenance ensures your IT infrastructure performs optimally regarding reliability, efficiency, security, and cost. A proactive IT management style prevents costly technical downtime and cyber incidents by resolving minor issues before they escalate into disastrous problems.
