SaaS For IT Management
This blog is all about using Software as a Service (SaaS) for IT Management.
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Weathering the IT Budget Storm of 2009
Posted on June 1st, 2009 1 commentI believe this may be the understatement of the century, but hey, I’ll go for it anyway: IT Budgets are not increasing this year. Yup, I know. Really stepped out on a limb there and took a chance, now didn’t I? With budgets in nearly every business unit being cut, it is no surprise that companies are trying to cut back on any new spending - even when it comes to mission-critical IT expenditures. And with mid-market IT managers expected to perfiorm miracles daily in order to keep everything running smoothly, how are they expected to maintain the same level of awesomeness with a smaller budget? Well, here are a few ways for IT pros to maximize their current environment.
First, let me take a few steps away from conjecture. Rather than just taking my word for it, let’s look at some real numbers on IT Budgets. Just today, IDC put out a report that IT spending will decline by 1.8% in 2009. That’s the bad news. The good news is that:
Declining information technology (IT) spending by clients will bottom out in 2009 and will experience marginal growth in 2010, market research and advisory firm IDC has said. Global IT spending is expected to grow 2.9% in 2010 before nearly doubling to 5.7% in 2012.
Okay, so if IDC is right, 2009 will be a year of doing the most with what you’ve got, while 2002-2012 should be a lot better froim an IT Budgeting perspective. So what can you do to maximize your current environment? Well, I’m glad I pretended you asked.
1. Save Money On Network Storage- All right, that’s an easy one, right? No? In theory, it should be fairly simple to figure out how to save some valuable dough on network storage. Some ideas:
- Find Old Files- Find out which old files can be archived, moved or deleted and get them off your network
- Find Files That Shouldn’t Be There- You’ve probably got files on your network that shouldn’t be there in the first place. We’re talking about MP3s, Movies, Family Photos and more. Your users shouldn’t be using your expensive network storage as their own personal entertainment center/ photo album.
- Find Out What Users/Groups are taking up the most space- Understanding the owners of data can help you with chargebacks or at least it can help you find the right size for their needs.
2. Find Out What Others Are Doing- How does your IT spending compare with others in your industry? What’s your storage and management cost per GB, and how does it compare with companies of similar size with similar retention and archiving policies?
3. Take a Look At SaaS/Cloud Offerings- Sure, I’m a little bit biased here, but you owe it to yourself to see if there are SaaS-based solutions that can both save you money and alleviate some of the burden of your IT staff.
Well, that’s just a start. I’d love to hear you other suggestions on ways to keep costs low to keep within a declining budget.
Nathan Burke is the marketing manager at Aprigo, a Waltham, MA-based startup developing online data management tools for IT Managers. To learn more about the company, go to the Aprigo site, or to sign up to be notified when Aprigo launches, click here.
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RUBEN September 5th, 2010 at 11:34