5 WAYS TO SAVE THOUSANDS WITH YOUR IT SET UP

With work, and the ability to earn relying so much on the internet, what is the best IT set-up for your need? And more importantly, how can you save money in setting up?

Here are some suggestions.

Switch providers and take advantage of new customer sign up bonuses

If you are unsuccessful negotiating then it can pay to regularly look at the competition and wait for a really good promotion that is cheaper or more beneficial than your current service. Many companies are more focused on customer acquisition than customer retention and, as such, it is much easier to get a good deal when signing up for new service than it is continuing on with your old internet service. Be sure to pay close attention to the terms and conditions of the new service you are signing up for because they may try to lock you into a lengthy contract, raise your rates substantially after a few months of service, or pull some other trick to get more money out of you.

Buy only the hardware you need

Most people make this huge mistake, thinking that a slick-looking set-up will serve them better. But the truth is, some of the hardware you think you need are purchases which were “necessitated” by a savvy sales person’s convincing powers. Think of how many computers you need, and have a couple at most spare units in case of break downs. Usually, buying monitors and separate CPUs turn out less expensive, but are you covered in case the power goes out? Laptops have at least 4 hours of back-up power behind them, so working through power outages and fluctuations is something you need not be concerned about. You may also want to keep a battery-run WIFI device around especially when your internet source is also electricity-run.

One way you can save also is by limiting printers, scanners to a bare minimum. The worse mistake is to purchase so much, only to realise later on that you don’t need all of that equipment.

Use a low cost internet service provider

There are several budget internet service providers out there in addition to the primary ISPs. These low cost providers usually rent the cable, DSL, or fibre optic lines from the larger companies at low rates and then pass on some of the savings to the consumer. Usually these budget providers also have higher bandwidth caps that are often unlimited in addition to cheaper add-ons and, in many cases, no contractual obligations either. On the other hand, there is the possibility of having slower tech support because an issue you are having may need to be routed through the primary service provider if it can’t be solved by your provider directly. Having a third party involved like that will often slow down the response time.

Bottom line, the savings you get are usually worth the occasional extra hassle you might experience.

Would you actually save by setting your IT up yourself?

Most people opt to do things themselves in order to save money. But would your current internet requirement allow you to get rid of the IT tech guy, and just opt for following manual instructions and online tutorials? Maybe yes, and a big maybe not. Yes, if you are setting up your own home network. A laptop with a built-in web camera, a WIFI router, and a sufficient surge protector – and you’re good to go.

But if you have a business, or let alone an entire company, would you be able to connect servers, monitors, workstations, 10 thousand feet of cable wires? This is where you can actually save money by hiring a one-time internet set-up technician, who will not only help you save money, but also ensure that your set-up is that which will work best for your need.

Get only the software you need

Do you really need all the licensed software you have purchased? 3 types of accounting systems, several back-up systems, paid subscriptions to all sorts of applications? Remember that the more you have loaded on your hard drive, the more RAM you will need – thus necessitating the purchase of more. You end up spending more on unnecessary software than the “huge savings” you were promised.