How to Save Money While Scaling Your IT Infrastructure

With any growing business, there comes a point when you need to scale your IT infrastructure. This transition happens when your demand for computing resources exceeds the initial design capacity. It’s not a bad thing; it means your business is growing!

Although scaling your infrastructure can solve the immediate problem, it can come with a high price tag. In this article, we’ll discuss ways you can save money while scaling your IT infrastructure.

 

What We’ll Cover:

 

– Server upgrades

– Cloud computing

– Network security

– Backup and disaster recovery

– Vendor management & software consulting

– IT compliance

 

Server Upgrades

 

The servers behind your company are the workhorses that keep everything running smoothly. Your company can only stay competitive with an IT infrastructure that is both flexible and efficient and can handle the rising demands of today and tomorrow. Your outdated infrastructure may be holding you back by necessitating more IT support than usual, costing more than intended to maintain.

According to IDC research, there is typically a 14% yearly decline in server performance. After five years, a server’s performance drops to 40% of what it was when it was brand new. In addition, unplanned downtime rises by 20% yearly due to poor performance and higher failure rates.

Upgrading your IT solutions regularly, as IDC recommends, boosts performance, consolidation, efficiency, and dependability. As a result, IT departments can save millions of dollars annually in capital and operating expenses.

 

Cloud Computing

 

With cloud-based solutions, you can easily add more server capacity as needed, and there’s less work involved in maintaining the system. Moving to the cloud is one of the IT solutions that can significantly impact your company.

Businesses can cut costs with cloud computing since it eliminates the need for expensive server upgrades. In addition, companies can avoid the high costs of technical IT support by renting cloud computing infrastructure. Software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) are two of the many innovative terminologies that have emerged from this approach, which can save you money and provide remote work solutions.

Network Security

 

A company’s digital footprint must grow with its security measures to ensure that capacity issues take time to respond to security incidents. Scalable security refers to a method and set of tools that can expand or contract in response to fluctuations in demand. In other words, your IT solutions are more secure, regardless of the load.

Organizations of all sizes, especially those amid rapid expansion, are still working out the kinks in their security procedures. They’re increasingly becoming the targets of cybercriminals as awareness of good cyber hygiene spreads. Verizon reports that 43% of cyber attacks are directed at small businesses, making a solid technical IT support plan all the more critical.

 

Backup and Disaster Recovery

 

Although it’s a good idea to plan for when disaster strikes, the cost can be daunting. For this reason, some businesses choose to forego a disaster recovery strategy altogether, which can be an expensive mistake. However, it’s better to spend a little money now on preparation than to spend money cleaning up after a disaster because you weren’t ready.

Budgeting for data backups is a wise investment. They may cost more upfront, but they will save you thousands of dollars in the long run on data recovery costs in the event of an accident. Think about the days of downtime and hours of lost productivity you could avoid by just testing your data backup process to ensure it works.

Vendor Management & Software Consulting

 

If you want to grow, outsourcing is essential for business IT support. Over 40% of businesses think outsourcing helps them maintain flexibility, and 15% say it makes them more adaptable. It also facilitates faster product development cycles and lowers operating expenses for businesses.

The easiest method to add needed expertise to your in-house team is to hire a reputable vendor on consulting organization. You won’t have to spend money on personnel recruitment, training, or even renting office space when outsourcing. However, you will still have access to top technical IT support and solutions.

 

IT Compliance 

 

It can be not easy to ensure you fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations, especially when scaling your business IT support. The complexity of data protection rules worldwide makes it difficult to stay abreast of the legislation in each jurisdiction. For instance, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is still relatively new. Therefore it can be challenging to implement the necessary infrastructure to facilitate the cross-border transfer of user data in that market. FERPA (United States) and G-Cloud (United Kingdom) are popular regional compliance initiatives.

HIPAA

You also have to consider HIPAA compliance. The HIPAA Journal estimates that the average cost of a HIPAA data breach is $5.9 million before the Office for Civil Rights adds on any penalties. In addition to the potentially multimillion-dollar OCR fines, other fines come with noncompliance, such as loss of business, breach notification costs, and litigation from affected individuals.

Data Processing

When scaling your IT infrastructure, these are all things to consider. Processing data in local clouds can go a long way toward fulfilling requirements by eliminating the need to transport data across international borders. Also, working with a reliable managed services company can ensure full IT compliance and lower your risk as you scale your IT infrastructure.

Read Our Other Tech Support Guides

 

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