Cover

Advertisement
Superior Small Lodging
Colonial Williamsburg

Printable version Send this page to a friend... Share this page

INVESTING IN SAVING

WHILE TECHNOLOGY IS NECESSARY TO STAY AHEAD, IT CAN BE COSTLY. HERE, COST-CUTTING TIPS THAT WON'T PUT YOU BEHIND.
by LEE GIMPEL - March 2009

Published in Business :: Business

WHILE TECHNOLOGY IS NECESSARY TO STAY AHEAD, IT CAN BE COSTLY. HERE, COST-CUTTING TIPS THAT WON'T PUT YOU BEHIND.

ILLUSTRATION BY TRAY BUTLER

Technology is great, isn't it? But the newest hardware and software come with a price. And while saving money is never out of fashion, the current climate may be more of an impetus. You could just unplug everything and go back to the abacus and filing cabinet-or you can try to cut back with the following tips:

1. Manage your assets. Do all of your employees have the same software even if they don't use every program? Did you buy user licenses you don't need? With some licenses costing thousands of dollars, scale back. The same goes for hardware: Make sure you're using what you have before buying anything new.

2. Wring new from old. Perhaps you have a computer that runs at a glacial speed. Rajesh Goel, CTO of Brainlink International, recommends repurposing outdated machines by loading them with the Ubuntu operating system, then using them as firewalls or fileservers. And FlipSwap pays cash for old cell phones; you may only get $50, but it's better than nothing.

3. Focus your IT fire. For all the things that can and do go wrong in the wide world of IT, there are a few persistent, costly issues. Help desk personnel will assert that password resets are high on that list. Quest Software's Password Manager lets users self-service, which saves techs the password hassle.

4. Review and renegotiate. With phone, internet and mobile service, even a small change can mean big bucks. Audit yourself and seek better deals, or bring in a telecom consultant who might be compensated with a percentage of the cost savings. Also, Jon Winsett, managing partner at spend management firm NPI, suggests looking at service contracts. There is a tendency for plans to creep higher annually, so consider dropping plans that have a high cost for noncritical systems.

5. Consolidate. Anthony Mongeluzo, president of Pro Computer Service, recommends trying to cut down on the number of vendors you use in order to get a bulk discount and reduce the number of people you coordinate with; it might be a difference of 10% to 20%. Also, buy equipment from a preferred reseller or an industry association to get group discounts.

6. Make do. Before you put down money for a great new product or project, ask whether you need to do it, and whether you need to do it now. For example, business analytics packages can provide great insight, but many meaningful reports can come right out of Excel or your current enterprise suite.

Published in Business :: Business

Related features

Recent features


Browse Go Features: