Consider This Before Letting Your IT Staff Go
As we look towards the new normal with lockdowns being lifted, many organizations will consider downsizing, especially their technology departments.
But is this the right choice? Or do you have better options?
Non-essential businesses around the world are facing difficulties resulting from social distancing efforts to slow the curve of the coronavirus. These difficulties range from being required to close their doors to losing customers as a result of economic uncertainty. It’s no secret: the pandemic caught most of us off-guard. Fortunately, many professionals were able to continue to operate from home. Now, as businesses look towards the new normal, we’re forced to ask: will we continue to work remotely or go back into the office?
The reality is, the new normal will likely be a combination of employees working from home and in the office.
Preserving businesses with technology
If we’re going to continue embracing social distancing and focus on cutting costs to reserve cash flow during this difficult time, should you start letting some staff members go? Naturally, there’s been unprecedented shocks to supply and demand across the majority of industries. CFOs are looking to find ways to ensure a higher level of sustainability in terms of operational costs and technology will play a critical role in helping organizations achieve the following going forward:
- Greater resiliency against disruptions in the future
- Improved collaboration for remote workers
- Streamlined workflows to enhance efficiency
In the simplest terms, technology saved the day for organizations that leveraged the right tools to stay functional, despite lockdowns. Going forward, technology will continue to preserve organizations – improving the way they do business, produce goods and services, and staying connected to their customers, partners, and suppliers.
It’s because of technology’s contribution to the preservation of businesses that organizations must look at more creative ways to cut costs through the use of technology, despite temptations to downsize. Instead, businesses should look for more creative ways to cut costs through the use of technology. Our recommendations include:
Augmenting your internal technology department
An MSP can provide co-managed IT services that help you cut costs and augment your internal team – taking some responsibilities off their shoulders to help you save on overtime associated with heavy workloads. Essentially, an MSP is available at a flat-rate monthly fee to assist with the following:
- Day-to-day tasks, such as monitoring or support for employees.
- Strategic projects like migrating to the cloud or implementing new software.
- Consulting on technology budgeting, planning, or decisions.
You can continue to use your internal team where they’re needed while an MSP handles the rest for a fraction of the cost.
Embracing digital technologies to automate manual tasks
Automation can save a significant amount of money in terms of eliminating the need for human intervention. Aside from the fact that automation saves time spent on manual tasks, workflows, and processes, automation also minimizes the risk for errors – allowing your employees to focus their hours on high-priority tasks instead of:
- Data entry
- Email flows
- Notifications
- And much more
In addition, automation leads to the availability of real-time data, which means you’re able to make strategic, smarter decisions from the information you wouldn’t have if you were doing tasks manually.
Moving on-premises equipment to the cloud
As we’re bound to see remote work continue for the foreseeable future to some degree, the cloud will play an essential role in enabling anytime, anywhere access to data, systems, and applications. Remote workers will need cloud-based solutions that allow them to access:
- Desktops
- Business phones
- Communication platforms
- Line of business applications
- And more
In addition to offering remote workers the accessibility they need, the cloud eliminates a lot of costs associated with on-premises equipment:
- Large upfront purchases
- Ongoing maintenance
- Regular upgrades
- Unexpected troubleshooting
You pay a flat-rate monthly fee to access what you need. Plus, it’s scalable so if you do end up minimizing or adding to your staff, you can add or remove resources as needed in terms of storage, licenses, etc.
If you’re left with no choice but to find ways to cut costs, get in touch with us first. We’re able to help. Use the chatbox or give us a call to book a consultation.
