Data back - up
Most businesses treat data back up like a “set it and forget it” situation when in fact this expense, if not reviewed often, can grow out of control. Don’t expect your data back up vendor or IT support company to offer up this information as it often takes money from their bottom line. Are you treating all types of data equally? Data that is just stored as an archive shouldn’t be treated the same as data that may need to be readily accessible or part of a disaster recovery plan. Do you routinely negotiate for better storage rates? You can often negotiate a better rate based on higher storage volume. Rates most often go down as your data gets bigger. Also, there are different types of storage available depending on the type of data being stored, access needed and disaster recovery options.
IT support
Are you paying too much or too little? Do you have the premium IT it support plan with multiple visits, and all kinds of bells and whistles promised that you haven’t really seen or maybe don’t need? Do you have a time and material support contract and you are being nickeled and dimed every time you turn around? Are you paying too little and losing money in other areas due to down time and lost productivity? Assess your plan every year to make sure it’s a match for what you really need based on the state of your business plan.
Phone System Support
Do you have a traditional phone system and it seems like every week a guy with a tool belt shows up and hands you a $100 service call bill? Did your phone vendor just tell you your phones are an obsolete model and you need to spend thousands on an upgrade? Are you waiting too long to get a call back to resolve issues that are affecting your productivity? There are many options available today to help with your phone support woes, cloud phone systems being one of them. If you look at your monthly expense and are spending more than $10/month per phone, you could be overpaying and its time to shop around
Copying and printing
When it comes to printing and copiers, one size does not fit all. Do you need the super deluxe service plan when you really don’t print all that much? Do you really need the next day replacement option for your printers? Are you printing items in color when black and white will do.? Are you paying too much for ink due to older printers? Have the number of printers in your office multiplied over the years? There is a large cost differential when comparing old printer technology to some of the newer equipment. Annual assessments in this area will often net big savings.
