For any small business ensuring that their company's IT is up to date is absolutely essential - but in today's economic climate it is equally important to get value for money.
Factors to consider when purchasing IT systems:
Budget - It is surprising how many businesses have no IT budget in place, working on the ‘when it's broken I'll replace it' philosophy; this approach isn't cost effective if it means waiting days for the new equipment to arrive, meaning staff can't be productive·
At the time of purchase buy the best you can afford - this is proven over a typical 5 year period to save you money. Ignore this and the total spend could be greater than paying for a well-specified system.
Keeping up to date - An IT managed service will ensure your IT software remains current, protecting your business against security vulnerabilities and software enhancements.
Ensure your IT meets your business needs - ensure the business need, ‘drives the IT need'. If you're IT dependant you'll need to have sound budget planning in place to meet these needs, whereas if your business can operate with minimal IT requirements you
should carefully examine your IT expenditure.
Currently 75% of IT budgets are spent on maintaining an IT infrastructure, leaving only 25% for investing in new solutions. This poses issues- how do we change the balance? A large proportion of the 75% is wasted by poor implementation/understanding of equipment and software. IT outsourcing with managed services, will cut down on staffing costs while maintaining skills levels with a team of IT staff. Most IT systems, if monitored and maintained, will run reliably with minimal human interference!
How to finance it:
Delayed payment - Buy now and pay in 12 months - just the same as with other products.
Complete solution package - This means you buy IT hardware, engineering time, project management and ongoing support for the entire solution, including the end users. Basically everything is covered in one monthly cost over a 3 -5 year period. Should you wish to add to your system/upgrade during the term, then the term extends to cover the change, with the monthly cost remaining unchanged. This is similar to lease purchasing a car with maintenance.
Capital expenditure cost - This is money straight from the business. As with all the options above the money needs to be spent wisely with good advice. Expect any company money invested in IT to be spent on hardware that will last five years, but it should be accounted for and paid off over three years - allowing for a two year budget window for future expenditure.
For more information visit-www.axon-it.com
