3 ways to control your IT costs this summer

As the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm a few months ago, one of the results from the forced confinement by authorities was the major slowdown of the economy. Businesses had to temporarily close and one of the first thing that needed to be done by most business owners was to make sure they we’re able to control expenses to help the business navigate through the crisis.

As the economy begins picking up, and while the possibilities of a second wave of the pandemic are still very present, business owners need to make the most out of their resources to help their business thrive.

That being said, let’s look at 3 ways that can help you control your IT costs this summer, and beyond.

Managed IT Services

In short, managed IT services are services by technology service providers that provide a complete team of IT specialists to monitor, maintain and optimize your IT assets. While these services can be deployed, offered and customized in different ways, they represent a great cost control opportunity for businesses.

By leveraging managed IT services, businesses of all sizes can outsource different network management, security and help desk services to their provider for a fixed monthly fee covering their specific needs.

This is particularly helpful for businesses looking to cut IT costs by outsourcing these tasks rather than hiring the staff required to do the work, as the fixed monthly fee proposed by providers will most likely be lower than the equivalent salaries of in-house personnel. It can also be a great opportunity to free in-house resources from redundant tasks to help them focus on projects or tasks that have more upside for the business.

Another great advantage of outsourcing these services is the flexibility offered by letting you add or remove services based on network devices and users, for example.

Cloud Services

As of today, it’s probably safe to say that cloud services are well entrenched in many aspects of our personal and professional lives. The main reason for the success of this computing model on the business side of things is the flexibility and possibilities that it provides to organizations of all sizes. Cloud applications are accessible anywhere, at any time and on any device. With pricing models based on a “consumption” basis, you pay for what you need, when you need it.

Cloud services represent a great way for businesses to control and optimize their IT costs by making the most of this consumption pricing model. Had to let staff go? Downgrade your licenses. Hiring and growing? Upgrade them. As simple as that.

This radically simplifies the management and capital investments required in the past for software, storage, and infrastructure adjustments that businesses need to deal with on an ongoing basis. It also makes it a lot easier for business owners to control costs as they can work with predictable models based on what they need, exactly when they need it.

IT Staffing

IT staffing services is an often-overlooked opportunity for businesses to control their IT costs, on the salary side of things. Depending on their realities and the way they navigate through this crisis, for example, businesses tend to have specific IT needs, at specific times. Finding, hiring and keeping internal IT staff trained and up to date can quickly become a very expensive and time-consuming proposition.

IT staffing services are provided by specialized providers to “lend” qualified IT personnel for particular projects, to cover vacation periods, sick leaves, and support specific business needs. IT staffing services reduces the risks associated with the process of posting a job, finding candidates, interviewing them, hiring them, hoping they work out and paying them. It’s basically a staff-as-a-service offer that gives the opportunity for businesses to have a simple, fixed-cost prediction for qualified staff for a particular (and often time-sensitive) need.

MicroAge Can Help

Most businesses have been in constant state of uncertainty and stress since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic., We at MicroAge are here to help. Let our MicroAge locations across the country guide you through specific IT needs and decision to help you control your IT costs and thrive during this uncertain period. Reach out to one of our locations to speak with an expert.