6 Ways to spend your Year-End IT Budget

As the new year draws ever closer, many of us scramble to find effective ways to spend any extra funds that remain in our budgets and take advantage of Section 179 tax deductions. Despite the urge to act now or face the year-end "use it or lose it" backlash, it is critical to think strategically about your organization's future objectives before moving forward. Many New River Computing clients tend to spend money on equipment and projects at the end of the year, making it our most busy time. The holidays only complicate matters. If you are planning projects at year-end, please contact us sooner rather than later!

1. Security. Surprisingly, security is often overlooked in the IT budget, particularly in small businesses where they believe they are not really at risk. Unfortunately, this is not the case – and not maintaining security can be extremely costly.
2. End of life. When Windows 7 went end of life earlier this year, many companies scrambled to update their operating systems, despite the many announcements leading up to the termination. Make sure that you know when different software or operating systems and aging systems need to be replaced.
3. Proactive IT planning. Your IT budget must include technology that can help you achieve business objectives, improve productivity, or cut back on costs. Keeping a strategic eye on technology can help your company continue to advance its goals instead of being reactionary.
4. Disaster recovery planning. From backups to recovery, there are several aspects of disaster recovery that you need to plan for. Look for newer options to outdated backup and recovery models. For example, if you’re still using backup tapes, USB disks or Crashplan, we recommend budgeting to replace those with more modern systems.
5. Hardware consolidation. Are you running too much hardware? You could virtualize some of it and condense your equipment. Reduce the equipment you have onsite, and you reduce the chance of equipment breaking and you lower your power usage and square footage.
6. Full-Service IT options. Your IT strategy should accommodate opportunities to alleviate stress and optimize your business. Consider becoming a fully managed client and letting us focus on your IT while you run your business.

With these 6 must-haves for your IT budget, chances are slim that you’ll find yourself with anything burning a hole in your pocket. In fact, you just might find yourself with an even bigger budget the next time around.

Need help deciding what your IT budget priorities should be? Contact us at (540)808-2900 or email jeff@newrivercomputing.com

"Plan for what is difficult while it is easy. Do what is great while it is small."
—Sun Tzu

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