Tech spring clean: 3 small business IT issues to get fixed before the year is out

Now is a great time to optimise your technology. Doing a ‘spring clean’ can save you money and ensure you’re not paying for resources you don’t need.

Flushing cash down the toilet probably isn’t top of your to-do list. Yet most small to medium-sized businesses are doing just that, without realising it.

Because of the chaos of the past couple of years, businesses have had to fork out for technology to accommodate remote working and keep their systems secure. Amid the whirlwinds of change, most had no time to plan properly and as such, they’re likely paying way more for their tech than is necessary.

Here are three IT issues to get on top of now to help save you money, time and resources:

1. Sort out your licences

Software licensing can be expensive, especially if staff are given licences they don’t need. If you have 50 workers in manufacturing and 150 workers who sit in the office, for example, both groups have got different licensing needs. You don’t want to give all users the most expensive license possible.

“During the pandemic we found that a majority of organisations have over-licensed,” says Peter Hitchener, Business Development Executive, Software and Cloud at SoftwareONE, a reseller of Microsoft products. “Now that things are a bit calmer, it’s a good time to review that usage and reduce costs so you get more of a return on investment on your licensing.”

SoftwareONE’s 365Simple service helps with this. Through its proprietary PyraCloud platform, IT managers and business owners can easily monitor what resources and programs employees use and ensure the company buys the right licences.

“We excel in licensing knowledge and how it impacts businesses in real-world situations,” says Peter. “So we can help you identify how we can save you money.”

2. Optimise your cloud resources

If you’re not paying attention to your business’ cloud usage, you could be paying way more than you need to.

“In most organisations, they will spin up however many environments they want but if you don’t know how those resources are being allocated and what type of usage they’re getting, you’ll go into cost overruns,” says Peter.

A managed service like SoftwareONE’s Azure Simple with the PyraCloud platform can help to keep a close eye on your spend and minimise costs.

According to Peter, businesses can reduce their bills by up to 60 per cent by having a “reserved instance”. This means you commit to reserving cloud capacity for a longer period of time and receive a discount.

“With on-demand cloud consumption, your bill will continue to get higher, but with a reserved instance, you lock it in at a set price bracket,” he says. “By analysing the server environment and consumption, we can typically help you make a lot of savings.”

3. Check your security is right for remote

With cybercrime on the rise, it’s important to ensure your systems are secure. Modern devices powered by the Intel vPro platform with the latest version of Windows 11 Pro offer the best protection for small businesses.

Identity management should be one of your top priorities, warns Peter. “With more staff working remotely, IT teams need to make sure there’s no IP leakage from users accessing their company email from their mobile phones or other devices,” he says.

Microsoft’s Active Directory checks users’ identities against a register to ensure they have access to the correct licensing, what systems they have access to and whether they can download certain applications or information.

Combined with other tools available as part of SoftwareONE’s Azure Simple and 365Simple managed services, this makes monitoring identity management easy.

“We have the skill set to go into an organisation, see what they’re using, consult with them, and identify what needs to be improved,” says Peter. “Or if we’re starting from scratch, we give you the right plan and resources to be able to implement those tools on time and on budget.”

With IT budgets under strain in many businesses, these three IT checks, if done correctly, can save you money that you can allocate to other areas.

“Streamlining your tech reduces costs and improves efficiency,” says Peter. “It’s a great time for a spring clean.”

Ready to spring clean your technology? Find out about SoftwareONE’s managed services here.

This article is brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders in partnership with SoftwareONE.

Feature image: AdobeStock