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How to Lower IT Support Costs Without Sacrificing Efficiency

Effective IT support is crucial, especially for a young business that’s just starting up. Unforeseen network or computer problems can cause operations to grind to a halt, which can do untold amounts of damage, especially if it happens during a crucial period. The longer your company is out of action, the more the damage simply mounts and mounts. The inability to rectify the situation in a timely manner, generally caused by poor IT support, can be the death blow for a company looking to gain traction.

The good news is that it’s not hard to find good IT technicians. It’s a popular field that’s bursting at the seams with reliable talent. However, that talent doesn’t come cheap, so the benefit of efficient IT support needs to be weighed against the potential costs.

Fortunately, there are ways to lower IT support costs without necessarily sacrificing that efficiency. Some methods are more effective than others, so let’s look at a few of them and weigh the differences.

 

Lower Hardware Spending

Technology is always developing at an exponential rate. You can use this to your advantage. You don’t necessarily need to run a big, expensive server to meet your IT needs. It’s becoming more and more popular to link together a few powerful PCs in lieu of an entire server. There’s no reason to pay a premium for hardware that’s more powerful than you need. Computers are constantly growing more and more capable while costs are, if not lowering, not rising, either.

 

Replace Hardware with Cloud Space

You also have the option to forego IT hardware altogether. By moving your IT operations to the cloud, you don’t have to purchase or maintain on-site hardware. In many cases, these purchasing and maintenance costs can grow to be more expensive than simply renting a cloud-based server. There’s a reason that many see the cloud as the future. (CIO)

 

Consider Remote Work

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has been more popular than ever. Telecommuting became necessary when most of the world went into quarantine but has since become popular with not only workers but employers as well. Remote workers are experiencing an increase in job satisfaction while businesses are able to cut a variety of costs related to on-site work.

With less workers in the office, expenses are reduced for office supplies, equipment, janitorial services, and, in some cases, even real estate. If you can convert half of your workforce to remote work, it stands to reason that you’ll only need half of the office space.

What makes this a particularly popular method of cutting costs is that not only does it not negatively affect efficiency, but actually improves it in most cases. Workers are happier and more comfortable, which leads to better performances. It’s a win-win situation. (ImageOne)

 

Hire an Outside IT Firm

There are plenty of good suggestions on this list, but if there’s one ideal solution for cutting IT costs without sacrificing efficiency, it’s hiring an outside IT firm. In fact, a few of the above suggestions are wrapped up into this one option. You won’t need on-site equipment, meaning no expensive server hardware, nor will you need any office space, because these aren’t your employees. This also means zero hiring costs, sick pay, vacation days, or any expenses associated with staffing. That includes what it costs to train IT employees, and training is vital to stay on top of the ever-evolving world of information technology.

A specialized IT firm means dedicated experts that are on the cutting edge of IT developments. Not only are they equipped to handle current issues, but they’re also looking to the future to anticipate potential issues. It’s much more effective to prevent issues than it is to respond to them.

On top of all of that, several IT support companies offer subscription services, making it easier to budget. A flat, recurring fee means no hidden costs that will cause havoc with your company’s financials.

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