It May Be Tempting to Reduce IT Services to Cut Costs - But Don’t Give In
The pandemic has had a big impact on many businesses across North America, causing them to have to tighten their belts and look for ways to cut costs so they can successfully recover.

When you’re looking for areas to reduce expenditures, it can be tempting to consider things like dropping managed IT services and cybersecurity. You may think that everything has been going smoothly technology-wise, so it won’t hurt to drop a few of your services to save money.

But you should not be tempted to reduce your IT support and maintenance services. The very reason you may not have had a technology problem or suffered a ransomware attack is likely because someone has been keeping a watchful eye on your network and technology infrastructure.

78% of surveyed Canadian businesses say that ransomware attack volume has increased over the last 12 months.

When you drop support for something as vital to doing business as your IT infrastructure, you could end up paying much more than the immediate monthly savings you anticipate.

Some of the additional costs of not having your IT taking care of properly include:

  • Downtime costs due to equipment breakdowns and issues
  • Costs from ransomware and other malware attacks
  • Lower productivity due to lack of staff IT support
  • Shorter equipment lifespans due to lack of maintenance
  • Time away from revenue-producing activities because you’re putting out “IT fires”

Your IT Provider should be your trusted advisor… as we are to our clients.  We can help you improve your IT, your security stance, and reduce your overall costs.

Ways That Your IT Provider Can Reduce Your Costs While Helping Protect & Grow Your Business

Identify & Eliminate Redundant Cloud Apps

Cloud app use has skyrocketed during the pandemic. This has led to many companies paying for redundant apps that they’re unaware of. It’s estimated that the use of “shadow apps” is about 10x that of apps that companies know about.

Shadow IT are applications that employees use on their own for work that haven’t been officially approved, and these often can end up on a company’s bottom line because they’re paying for the monthly subscriptions.

One way that IT providers can help you reduce costs is by taking a look at your employees’ cloud workflows and identifying the use of shadow IT and redundant applications.

Reducing the number of subscriptions that you’re paying for monthly or annually can mean significant savings on cloud costs, while at the same time optimizing your cloud environment. 

Automate Your IT Processes

A lot of employee productivity time can be saved by eliminating manual, redundant processes and automating them instead.

When looking at your IT workflow, we can zero in on processes that are costing you money and find ways to optimize them. When you free up employees from manual processes, you can reduce your need to hire additional staff before you absolutely need to. 

Help You Uncover Free Resources Available in Your App Subscriptions

Companies can waste money paying for new applications or tools that they already have access to, simply because they’re unaware of them.

Platforms like Microsoft 365 offer multiple free tools and assets that users may not even know they have. Such as, free online forms and survey tool (Microsoft Forms) and a lightweight version of Visio, the diagram creator that Microsoft just made available for free to all business accounts. 

Another example is free business-quality stock images available in apps like Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud. Companies can save hundreds of dollars not having to purchase these types of assets elsewhere.

Your IT provider is well versed in all the latest updates and tools in multiple software platforms, so we can help you uncover free resources you already have access to that can save you money.

Ensure You’re Not Overpaying for Your Technology

Are you paying too much for your internet service? Could you get a better deal on your business computers if you went about purchasing them differently?

We make it our business to help our clients procure their technology services, hardware, and software for the best prices possible, and can often save you money on any number of technology needs.

Help You Move to Lower-Cost Systems

Many business owners just stick with the way they’ve been doing things for years, not realizing there is a better and lower-cost way. One example of this is a switch from a landline phone system to VoIP.

VoIP business phones don’t give up anything in quality and offer multiple benefits, one of which is significant cost savings over analog systems. 

IT providers that are familiar with your business technology can make informed recommendations for switching to lower-cost business systems that can save you money at the same time as giving you more capabilities. 

Schedule a Cost-Reduction Review Today!

Data First Solutions can help your Toronto area business review your current IT needs and identify areas for cost-savings.

Contact us today to book a free assessment. Call 416-412-0576 or book your assessment online.

 

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