One recent study suggests that 93% of SMBs recognize the strategic importance of IT. Most respondents say their current IT structure doesn’t support their operational goals. Take the time to properly budget for technology plans to ensure you invite in the right resources to meet the operational needs of your Atlanta business and get stakeholder buy-in early in the process.
Since many stakeholders are involved in funding and implementing parts of a plan, getting their buy-in is essential. The best way to obtain buy-in is to include them in the plan development process as much as possible, and by doing so, it can help ensure that specific goals and objectives in the plan receive the necessary funding and resources to implement – according to Document Strategy
How Can You Align IT with Organizational Goals?
In one word, budgets. An effective budgeting process is critical to aligning your operational needs and IT spend prioritization. Nobody likes putting budgets together, especially if your organization requires line-item estimates or complicated allocations. But we all know it’s important — especially for IT departments taxed with meeting the needs of the business.
Atlanta Managed IT services can save your organization money without sacrificing primary objectives. It’s expensive to recruit, onboard and train new IT professionals. You can skip most of this expense by outsourcing projects or functions for a flat monthly fee or per-user fee. This also simplifies the budgeting process greatly.
Technology budgets can be quite complicated, as you’re balancing the reasonable lifecycle of hardware products, software upgrades and the unexpected IT needs of the business on an annual basis. One way that you can add some consistency to your budgeting is by working with an outsourced IT provider. Instead of massive unexpected bills for services that you weren’t anticipating, your technology services provider is able to work with you on a retainer basis so you can spread your costs more equally throughout the year – according to the Broward County Bar Association
What Should You Keep in Mind When Budgeting for IT?
Keep these points in mind when budgeting for an experienced IT consulting firm in Atlanta:
- When allocating funds, consider your overall goals: Plans for new servers, software and outsourced resources should be carefully aligned with what the business goals are. There’s no point in planning a major initiative to automate payroll if the only thing that can bring in more money is overhauling a legacy CRM. Once the business goals are set and signed off on, the IT budget is relatively easy to put together.
- It’s a good idea to ask both internal IT personnel and your managed service provider for budget input: Centerpoint staff work with dozens of companies each year, so we have a pretty good idea what you can expect to pay for hardware, internet, network, support, software and licensing, and other technology expenses.
- Know what IT assets your company actually uses, what it costs and end of life dates: Upgrading legacy systems is like pouring cash into a sinkhole. You might be able to trudge along for another year or two, but the right thing to do is to adopt a sustainable replacement tool or at least migrate it to the cloud for transparency. Documenting when your assets outlive the manufacturer’s support windows is a great way to prioritize IT spend on critical systems.
Sure, it’s possible to run your IT department without the benefit of a managed service provider, but it’s not as expensive as you might think. Plus, when you factor in benefits and compensation for equivalent in-house staffing, the savings become much clearer. Learn more about why you should choose Centerpoint and contact Centerpoint IT today to schedule an assessment of your current IT infrastructure. We’d be happy to help you take a frank look at the 2020 IT budget for your Atlanta business.
