With the ongoing economic uncertainties, businesses are understandably looking for ways to tighten their belts when it comes to outgoings. While many are not necessarily looking to begin large IT projects, many are severely under-using what they already have at their disposal in terms of technology.
Businesses, and IT systems, often evolve organically, and this can often result in inefficiencies slowly being baked into a system over time, usually without anyone in the organisation even aware of the extent of the inefficiencies that exist.
More and more businesses are looking at how they can “do more with less”; and there’s no better time than the present to conduct an assessment of your existing licensing arrangements and systems to ensure you are getting the most out of them, eliminating redundancies, and setting yourself up to support ongoing business growth.
Calculate your savings
Microsoft offer a number of resources that will help you to identify underlying cost savings for your organisation. Sign-up for one of our “Do More with Less” workshops to learn how to use our Value Calculator to discover and capture specific savings opportunities for your business.
Solving problems
Conducting an audit of your technology systems is a good opportunity to expose some of those hidden issues lurking under the surface in your existing processes. This can help you identify where time is being unnecessarily lost due to staff grappling with IT problems.
Likewise, this also presents a chance to examine your existing IT processes, and see where they can be easily and cost effectively streamlined and improved. Time spent doing so is a valuable investment, as not only can you identify changes that can be made with immediate effect, but it also allows you to draw a roadmap of future improvements down the line.
Core’s “Technology Roadmap Assessment” will help you bring these ideas to life and understand exactly how Microsoft 365 can empower you to deliver positive impact. Book your free assessment here.
Utilising unused features
There are a host of different systems and programmes that nearly every business relies on to some extent. However, there is a good chance that your business is simply not making the most of what these powerful technologies have to offer and missing out as a result.
Software and licenses can often come with a considerable price tag, so it is vital you are getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to using them. Conducting a thorough assessment, especially with the assistance of a professional IT consultant can be helpful for identifying under-utilised features that could bring substantial benefits to day-to-day workflow and productivity, while ensuring you use the tools at your disposable to the fullest.
Identifying opportunities for automation
How much time each day or each week do you and your employees spend on time consuming tasks, that while necessary, do not add value to the business? For example, a task like document management can be incredibly time and labour intensive, while doing little to really drive the business forward.
Carrying out an IT assessment can help you to highlight these areas that are ripe for automation, freeing up more time for those activities and tasks which generate both value and profit for your organisation.
Uncover security risks
All businesses benefit from safe and secure systems, which is why conducting an IT audit is a good time to identify any flaws or vulnerabilities in your technology making you prone to cyber threats. Ensuring everything is properly up to date means you can benefit from security patches, keeping your business’ and clients’ data secure.
While every organisation will benefit from enhanced security measures, for some sectors, robust security is absolutely vital, especially those that deal with especially sensitive data. Taking the time to ensure access and permissions are all relevant and up to date can pay off in the long run.
Enlisting the experts
There are huge benefits to conducting an audit of your IT systems, especially at the start of the year. Setting yourself up to make the most of what is already at your disposal, as well as identifying quick and easy improvements can really boost both productivity and efficiency.
However, this naturally comes with an investment of time, and requires the expertise to spot these opportunities. A good managed service provider possesses industry experts with immense experience in doing just this, saving you the time, and granting you expert insight for a fraction of the normal cost of such expertise.
Talk to us today to find out about opportunities for efficiency and cost reduction in your business, so you can focus on what you do best. Email hello@core.co.uk to request a complimentary consultation with one of our specialists.
