How To Get More From Your IT Spend
IT budgets are under more scrutiny than ever. While companies are considering how to integrate generative AI and protect themselves against evolving cyber security threats, they also want to maximise every pound they spend.
Fortunately, improving your IT infrastructure doesn’t have to mean spending thousands of pounds on new software.
We use a multi-step process to analyse your current budget, eliminate unnecessary spending and make targeted investments in new technology. It’s how we improve the security and cost-efficiency of hundreds of businesses across London and the South East.
In this article, we’ll outline the steps you can take to optimise IT spending and align investments with your goals.
We recommend that businesses evaluate their current IT spending before making any new investment. Many businesses unknowingly pay for redundant or underutilised tools because they don’t consistently track and evaluate the software they have.
A thorough software and hardware audit identifies all your software licenses and subscriptions and tracks the extent to which employees actively use these tools.
Evaluating hardware lifecycles ensures they remain cost-effective and efficient. Identifying redundant services can help consolidate overlapping software tools and reduce licensing fees.
Reviewing cloud and SaaS subscriptions is also crucial, as many businesses use multiple cloud services that may not provide sufficient value. For example, businesses often pay for two tools for the same purpose. Zoom and Teams subscriptions are common culprits.
Businesses can eliminate a surprising amount of wasteful spending by pinpointing underutilised services, consolidating storage and collaboration tools under a single provider, and tracking auto-renewing subscriptions.
Investing in multifunctional tools is one of the best ways to stretch an IT budget. Businesses should seek solutions combining several features rather than purchasing multiple standalone products.
All-in-one business platforms such as Microsoft 365 can replace separate email, file storage, and collaboration software. Similarly, unified communication tools like Microsoft Teams or Zoom can serve multiple purposes, reducing the need for various messaging, video conferencing, and collaboration apps.
This approach also streamlines and simplifies workflows. Employees spend less time context-switching and more time doing meaningful work. It also means there are fewer things to break.
Another strategic approach is to choose scalable solutions, which ensures that IT investments grow with the business rather than requiring frequent replacements. Cloud-based software often provides the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. Automation tools, such as customer support chatbots, automated invoicing, and workflow management, can further enhance efficiency by streamlining processes.
Aligning IT spending with overall business objectives ensures that investments deliver measurable value. Rather than chasing the latest tech trends, businesses should focus on solutions that directly contribute to growth and efficiency.
Clearly defining IT priorities prevents unnecessary spending and helps maintain a budget aligned with key business needs. For instance, investing in robust security tools is more strategic than purchasing non-essential software if the goal is to improve cybersecurity.
Another critical area is employee training. Purchasing new technology without proper training can lead to inefficiencies. Providing training for new software implementations, encouraging certifications for IT personnel, and utilising online learning platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning can significantly enhance productivity.
Evaluating the return on investment before making significant purchases is also essential. Businesses should assess whether a solution will increase productivity, reduce manual labour, lower operational costs, or improve customer satisfaction and retention.
While cost-cutting is important, security should never be compromised. Data breaches and cyberattacks can lead to significant financial losses.
Implementing cost-effective measures such as a cyber security credential can keep protection high and costs low. It’s relatively cheap to comply with Cyber Essentials, for example, which will protect your business from the vast majority of common cyber threats.
Training employees on cybersecurity best practices further mitigates risks, as human error is one of the biggest security threats. Educating staff on recognising phishing attempts, using strong passwords and password managers, and avoiding malicious software downloads can help prevent security breaches.
Additionally, businesses should implement reliable backup strategies to avoid catastrophic data loss. Using cloud backups for critical files and following the 3-2-1 backup rule—which involves keeping three copies of data in two formats, with one copy stored off site—ensures data safety in case of emergencies.
Assessing your IT spending should not be a one-time thing. As your business evolves and its IT needs change, you need to measure the impact of IT investments on productivity, efficiency, and cost savings.
Monitoring software usage rates, IT downtime, and support costs, as well as employee efficiency improvements, can provide insights into where adjustments are needed. Staying updated on emerging technologies can also help businesses make informed IT decisions.
However, it is important to avoid chasing trends without clear business benefits. Scheduling regular IT reviews, whether quarterly or annually, will ensure that IT investments continue to align with business growth, evolving needs, and cost-saving opportunities.
It’s why working with an IT support company is so beneficial. Outsourcing part or all of your IT management can further reduce costs because very few businesses actually require a full in-house IT team. Outsourcing managed IT services can handle network security, data backups, and system maintenance more efficiently.
An IT support company can also advise on software purchases and infrastructure updates. We regularly help our clients find more uses for their existing software and make smart investments in cloud computing.
Contact our experts today to discover how we can maximise your IT spending and help you do even more with less.