Planning your 2020 IT budget can be intimidating. There are so many factors to consider, and any mistakes can cost you a lot of money. Consider including these things to have a good start to 2020!
Cloud migration
Many small to medium businesses are including the move to Office 365 in their 2022 IT budget. This isn’t surprising considering a large part of businesses are using older versions of Office that are becoming outdated as time goes on. Migrating to Office 365 saves money on the cost of infrastructure because you won’t have to upgrade to the latest version of Office. Office 365 also guarantees up-time and will credit your account if there is downtime. It also has both cloud-based and on-premises benefits. You can upload files to Microsoft OneDrive while having your Office applications on many computers. If the process of migrating to Office 365 is overwhelming, you can always partner with a managed service provider to help you make the transition.
Cloud backup
Cloud backup and storage is another thing you should consider investing in your 2022 IT budget. Implementation is simpler than it sounds and it will save you money because you won’t have to invest in new hardware. Cloud apps are scalable and are more convenient than on-premise solutions. Make sure you choose a cloud service with reliable support, API access, and payment plans to avoid stress and unexpected payments.
Hiring and training your employees
Hiring a dependable IT team is the most important step to having affordable and effective IT infrastructure. The IT sector has had a skill shortage as technology becomes more specialized, and it is becoming harder to hire IT professionals. As technology constantly updates, you will need to train your employees so they stay on top of latest trends.
Cyber security
Gartner expects that global expenditure on information security will grow by 8.7% this year. Businesses are moving to the cloud and while this makes work more convenient, it also means that they will have to be careful to secure their data. After you budget for your primary costs, divide some money for lower priority issues so that you can preempt larger issues that might occur down the road.
End-of-life systems
You may have seen our other recent blog posts about preparing for the end of life cutoffs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. You only have a few more months to make sure your old systems are upgraded or replaced, and that any softwares or services dependent on old technology are addressed accordingly. The average usable life of desktops and laptops is often around 4-5 years, so evaluate any of your hardware that’s that age or older and determine your best path to decommission or upgrade it.
Infrastructure
Some systems cannot be updated to the cloud and need to be upgraded, so include those in your 2022 IT budget. 64% of businesses expanded their budget to include updating infrastructure. Outdated hardware can cause downtime and cost you money.
Unexpected costs
You never know what might happen, even if you are keeping up with your IT needs. It’s a good idea to include extra money in your 2022 IT budget in case of emergencies.
The easy way to create a 2020 IT budget
Want to know what you will be paying for IT every month? Consider managed services. For a stable monthly rate we will take care of your IT needs so you can focus on your business. Don’t worry about getting stuck in a long-term commitment. Infinity Managed Services are month-to-month, so you can cancel anytime. Give us a call at 512-348-8324 to see if you qualify for a free IT analysis.