In today’s highly digitized environment, it’s more important than ever to have a sound IT strategy with a budget to match that strategy going forward.  Not having a well-defined IT budget that aligns well with your strategy can lead to a number of inefficiencies, risks and consequences.

Always assess your business needs

As technology quickly advances, regular software tool refreshes in addition to patches are essential for any company hoping to stay competitive. Rather than assuming the same type of IT budget as last year, take the time to assess your organization’s current needs, as well as how upgrading or moving to different platforms might help your company meet those needs.

Just like most technology-backed businesses, allocate funds to your IT budget to improve these four areas:

Continuous vulnerability scanning

Hackers are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities in your business network. You need to identify these weaknesses in your IT infrastructure so that your business network isn’t compromised. Ensure you continuously monitor your network with a vulnerability scanning solution to identify potential problems and develop the best preventive measures.

Maintain secure WiFi

Businesses frequently neglect critical IT projects, such as securing their networks, leaving them vulnerable to attacks. Hackers can easily access your network if your employees use unsecured WiFi. Risks associated with free WiFi hotspots include network compromise, evil twin attacks and exploits. Setting up a secure VPN for your virtual workforce is the best way to avoid these events.

Keep legacy systems up to date

Keeping legacy systems may appear to be the easiest and most economically sound option, but it can actually decrease employee productivity and harm your bottom line. You’re also more susceptible to hacking if your security patches are outdated. As a result, annual technology refreshes are critical to ensuring the optimal performance of your IT infrastructure.

Disaster recovery and cyberattacks

You’ll need a plan in place to tackle the unthinkable like a wipe out of your systems or worse a cybercriminal demanding a ransom. Discovering that hackers have encrypted all your systems can be disastrous, not just financially but also in terms of your reputation. When planning your technology budget, focus on strengthening your cybersecurity posture so you can mitigate today’s sophisticated threats.

An IT service provider like Horn IT might be what you need

Horn can play a vital role in guiding you through anything IT-related, including cybersecurity, backup, compliance, budgeting and more.

Internal support: Internal IT department or IT team

The most common type of support is through an internal IT department or IT team. Usually, businesses with a committed IT team are enterprises, while small businesses may have only one IT staff member or none at all.

External support: Outsourced IT service provider

An external IT service provider, like us, can support your business in multiple ways, such as assessing your IT infrastructure to formulate a plan for budgeting decisions, providing advice on the best IT solutions, and assisting with implementation and setup.

Hybrid support: A combination of internal and external IT services

If you have an existing internal IT team but have areas they cannot cover, you can outsource those areas to an external specialist.

Outsourcing your IT needs or opting for hybrid support alongside your internal IT team can reduce a great deal of stress since our specialists can help lighten the load and show you the right way to prepare a budget. To get started, contact us today for a no-obligation consultation.

Download our infographic How to Budget for Your IT Needs, which walks you through the basics of IT budgeting.