4 Ways to Start Cutting IT Costs for Your Small Business Today

It seems there’s a lot of pressure for businesses to stay tech-savvy. Companies everywhere are boasting about the incredible technology they’re using. For many people, the ultimate sign of success for a company is how futuristic their office looks.

Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. Sure, modern technology is often amazing and useful, and it’s always nice to have the latest stuff.

But let’s face it: it would be a mistake to think that every piece of tech that comes out is essential.

Don’t jump to conclusions and start spending money left, right, and center. Check out these money-saving tips!

 

#1 Look Into Open Source Software

Employees need software. And when you have a lot of employees, you need a lot of software licenses. And you’ll probably need more than one piece of useful software per employee, right?

If you go down the proprietary software route, you’re looking at quite the expense. Sure, you can get a discount if you buy in bulk and if you’re a small business.

But you’re still looking at substantial annual costs once you add them all up.

The problem here is that so much free, open source software do these jobs just as well. There will usually be some benefits with the big-name licensed software. But rarely enough to justify the price. See http://www.pcworld.com if you’re interested.

 

#2 Get Rid of the Paid Software You Barely Use

In every office I’ve ever worked in, I’ve found people with software on their computers they didn’t need.

That meant our employers were paying for more software licenses than they needed. For example, one office I was at had Adobe Photoshop on every PC. Less than half the office even used it!

If you do need to use expensive software, make sure you’re sensible about how many licenses you buy!

 

#3 Use Outsourcing Instead of Full-Time IT Professionals

In my experience, the only companies that need full-time IT support employees are really big companies. I’m talking about companies with around a hundred employees, at least. And even then, they’ll probably only have one IT person. And that person probably has another responsibility within the company!

Long story short: smaller businesses are better off outsourcing their IT support. It’s cheaper than hiring a new full-time employee. See http://lincproject.net for more information.

 

#4 Work With What You Already Have

Don’t jump to the assumption that you need to replace your devices when they’re started to show their age! A lot of business owners get a little self-conscious when their computers have clearly been around for longer than five years.

But don’t fall for it when people tell you that you need to spend thousands on computer upgrades every few years!

There are definitely situations in which the best thing to do is simply replace your tech. But in the world of business, this will actually be pretty rare.

If your employees are still able to do things at the same efficiency level as they have done before, then there’s probably no need. You should simply look into getting some good hardware and software upgrades every now and again. Visit http://computer.howstuffworks.com to get started.

 

Final Thoughts…

What are you doing to cut IT cost?  These are just a few things I’m doing to cut the budget and save a few bucks in my company.  What are you doing to cut cost, share your thoughts and comments below.