Steve Gickling is the CTO of Calendar, a tool for unified calendars and all your scheduling needs.
A Gartner global survey of more than 2,000 CIOs found that IT budgets are expected to grow by an average of 5. 1% in 2023. In general times, such an increase would be welcomed with open arms by tech executives. However, this increase does not keep pace with the projected global inflation rate of 6. 5%. In terms of budget, IT leaders would likely feel stressed and wonder how best to allocate their resources. The trick is to find a balance between making long-term plans and prompt needs.
CIOs surveyed also cited pressures such as tight budgets and skills shortages, which are causing them to focus more on optimization than growth. As a result, despite all the rumors, investments in AI are less of a priority than those in cybersecurity and knowledge. analysis. While IT budgets want to cover a very large amount of ground, there are specific spaces that need to be paid attention to in order to achieve balance. Let’s explore 3 technology budget implementations that are critical to making the most of your resources today.
The cornerstone of any IT budget is knowledge control. It is the task of the generation departments to manage the data, protect it and optimize its use. But what does intelligent insight monitoring and optimization look like when organizations process more data than ever?
You’re talking about multiple databases and cloud tools, which can create inefficiencies. It’s not unusual to see errors, duplications, and fragmented data. Investing in automated responses indicates that those inefficiencies would possibly make more sense than trying to leave them blank later.
Think about all the changes that are made every day with your networked knowledge. Staff access public folders, use mailing lists on multiple devices, and edit shared calendars. Automated teams with two-way synchronization features help ensure that knowledge topics like those overlap are separated. This can increase power by saving workers time and reducing post-cleaning.
To save money by avoiding issues like knowledge expansion and poor control, it’s vital to make sure everyone on your team is using secure workflows. This can range from using a company-wide password control formula to using two-step verification to create an additional account. layer of security.
Cybersecurity raises questions about where threats come from and what organizations can do to protect themselves from them. Budgets for technology typically include allocations for systems and appliances with data security features such as encryption. Although cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in software and hardware, they attack some other point of weakness.
This weakness lies in the users, including workers and suppliers. Users can become the weakest link due to a lack of awareness about risks and difficulty detecting cybercriminal tactics. Technology budgets with allocations for cybersecurity education assistance address these vulnerabilities.
Ensuring ongoing cybersecurity education is imperative as new tactics emerge. Keeping the organization’s workers informed and up-to-date can help your radar oppose cyber threats. They’ll think twice before clicking on email links that look legitimate but ill-intentioned and download loose files. It’s equally important to train IT workers, as you also can’t assume they know how to spot every threat.
Your infrastructure, along with server appliances and software, represents a significant portion of your IT spending. More and more corporations are finding that a transition to infrastructure-as-a-service and software-as-a-service platforms can optimize resources.
Look at what you’re employing for storage, connectivity, and applications. Are there opportunities to use cloud platforms? Performing your nightly backups in a local server room means you want to keep the area and everything in it. Over time, you’ll most likely face dilemmas about how to gain more area and make the old equipment work.
With server equipment, there are also applications to think about. The platforms allowing you to deploy networked resources today need constant maintenance, too. Cloud solutions help eliminate this aspect. You pick and choose what you need when you need it. You’re able to efficiently scale as the number of users and infrastructure demands change.
If you find that your existing garage solution is working, first make sure you understand what type of cloud solution you want so you can effectively deploy it across your business. Do a lot of research on the type of cloud software you are considering implementing. Make sure it is a profitable investment. Finally, know the possible risks, advantages and disadvantages of cloud software before making the final decision.
By setting your generation budget, you expect to not have to deal with unforeseen projects and incidents. When your finances are tight, you may feel like you don’t have enough wiggle room to set aside money for the unexpected. What would you do if a natural crisis hit your provider’s data center or a ransomware attack threatened your network?
Smart tech budgeting looks beyond what an organization might need today. It considers internal and external risks, along with upcoming advances in technology. I believe that including data management, cybersecurity training and cloud solutions in a generally forward-looking budget can help you make the most of your resources.
The data provided herein does not constitute a monetary recommendation. You consult a licensed professional for recommendations related to your specific situation.
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