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Reducing Your IT Overheads

Times are hard and IT spend, like all other costs, are currently under review.  So how do you make sure you are getting the best results at the right price?  With a little help from someone more technically minded than us at Offices North West, we look at how you can start your financial diet in 2009.

Before you think about suffering for another 12 months with a poorly performing network or an unresponsive or expensive IT Support service, check out the pointers below.

Network Upgrades – Do you need to spend £1000’s on hardware and software?

Do you need to purchase new hardware and software or will a hosted solution, which is offered on a pay-as-you-go service, fulfil your requirements? Can you sweat your assets for longer while still enjoying network efficiencies?

What can a hosted solution offer:

1. Hosting can be an affordable way of sending and receiving email and getting hold of contacts wherever you are by using a Microsoft Exchange Hosted solution with support for Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices.
2. You can access any application such accounts or CRM packages from anywhere using Microsoft Terminal Services or Citrix.
3. A hosted solution can also securely backup your data.
4. Hosted solutions are charged on a per user per month basis which means little or no capital expenditure. You can also look at mixing a hosted solution with your existing hardware on site so that you can sweat existing assets. For example, using a hosted citrix or terminal services solution means that old PC’s with little processing power could last for another 12 to 24 months or even longer.

What type of organisation might benefit from a hosted solution:

1. Start up organisations which need to keep costs low
2. Staff work in several locations (including home-based or on the move) and need to share information in real time
3. You do not want a large up front cost in order to upgrade your network
4. The cost of managing systems in-house is too high for your current size, but you need to operate professionally to meet your customers’ expectations
5. You do not want to risk investing in expensive systems only to find they are not up to the job in 6 months time

Flexible IT Support Options – is your organisation receiving best value for money?

Every firm is different but there are some common themes to bear in mind when reviewing your IT Support costs:

1. Do you really need the support service that you are paying for? Some firms use IT Support all day every day and receive great value for money, while others make one call every month. If your firm seldom uses the service, then you should negotiate a less expensive or pay-as-you-go package.
2. Does your IT Support service pro-actively monitor the network using monitoring software? This is beneficial because the software helps identify issues before they become problems, which in turn reduces the cost of expensive engineer visits.
3. Does your IT Support company provide guaranteed response times when resolving problems both remotely and on site? If not, staff productivity can be impacted which many firms cannot afford.
4. Are you charged for travel time or other additional expenses? In this climate any additional charges are unwanted and unwarranted.
5. Are your prices frozen for 12 months? Your IT Support firm should be holding prices to help with your cash flow. If you find your rates or contract prices are rising, you should review the overall relationship.

Finally,

How do you choose the right supplier?

Follow these golden rules:

1. Choose a supplier who supports lots organisations in your area, you may know some of their clients and the supplier should be happy to arrange a reference or organise a site visit.
2. Your supplier should also be capable of offering strategic advice, e.g. what technologies will enhance your firm’s efficiencies both now and in the future.
3. Your IT Support supplier should manage your firms’ other IT suppliers on your behalf, e.g. software and communications providers.
4. Choose a supplier who can provide a flexible support service, tailored to your exact needs, can deliver both large and small projects.

For further information and to obtain a free quotation on their excellent IT Support Calculator, visit http://www.converge-it.net/support/it-support-calculator.

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