There are lots of very useful benefits to doing so for their IT infrastructure! But perhaps the small business owner might not know what the big deal is and why you should do it.

I assure you that you can find a use for virtualizing your infrastructure. Here are four good reasons why you should look into small business virtualization.

1.) Cost Effectiveness

Under normal circumstances you usually have one physical machine in your infrastructure for every Operating System and Application you use for that server.

This means you are spending a lot of money on the physical hardware. With small business virtualization you buy one machine. Then you make different snapshots running concurrently on one box. In the long run, you save money by not having to buy additional hardware.

2.) Space Management

The average server uses approximately 20% of the space and resources allocated to that box and that’s it. Leaving over 80% of the resources of that server never used.

Virtualization is a much better way to manage those resources. The reason is the cost effectiveness of not having one machine for one OS and one application.

You can save physical space for other servers. As well, you can use the space and resources on one box to get the same job done efficiently.

3.) Multiple Virtualized Operating Systems On One Machine

Before there was virtualization if you wanted to run a Linux server to do one thing and a Windows server to do another thing, you had to have two servers in your infrastructure.

Now however it is possible to run multiple operating systems all at the same time from one machine.

4.) Multiple Snapshots Means Multiple Backups

This is probably one of the coolest things about small business virtualization is you’re basically using a file called a Snapshot to do it.

The Snapshot is everything on that OS you have configured and stored. If anything should happen to one snapshot you can have backups ready to go and that means little to no downtime.

Just remember to make multiple snapshots in case you need them!

Small Business Virtualization Choices

We personally prefer VMWare as the choice for small business virtualization.

In fact, our sister company, Avail-Now, is a VMWare partner. Our reason for this decision is VMWare has all of the tools that small businesses need to do their job.

As long as you allocate enough space to a snapshot to install the OS, the application(s) you will use on it and give it enough free disk space to use as swap space it will run off of your computer’s physical hardware as though it was its own machine.

Also since I had not mentioned it yet, a “Snapshot” in virtualization terminology is a file with the OS you’re using, the files you saved on it, and the configuration settings you made.

Because its all one file that means you can copy the file as a backup.

There are other virtualization options out there besides VMWare so shop around. But this is definitely something you should take into consideration.

Have you considered small business virtualization for your business? Share your thoughts!

Do you know how to recycle hard drives? It is a smart way to get rid of those old hard drives that are in workstations, or server machines.

Think about, you have better hard drives now in them!

Well here’s some nifty ideas you can do to keep those hard drives around for ‘other’ uses besides sticking them back into machines or for that matter, disposing of them.

Today we are offering 3 of our favorite ways to recycle hard drives.

1.) Drive Docks

With USB 3.0 it is possible to take your older hard drive and install them into Drive Docks and an easy way to recycle hard drives.

A drive dock is an external device that allows you to plug in your HDDs outside your system. What this does is because USB 3.0 is faster than 2.0 it actually makes data throughput faster than what the drive was capable of when it was inside of a workstation or server!

Drive Docks can take 2.5” and 3.5” HDDs. They are cost effective and really, its nice to have that extra space if you need it. Drive Docks are capable of holding up to 4 drives as once.

2.) Recycle Hard Drives Into External Hard Drive

Another cost effective way to recycle hard drives is turning your old hard drives into external hard drives.

All this really takes is a purchase of an external case which also has a USB or FireWire port. External hard drive cases are also capable of supporting 2.5” and 3.5” hard drives.

With this method by repurposing that old hard drive you can now take it on the go with you. Though from a security standpoint, it is recommended if you make your hard drive portable after having used it inside the office or your infrastructure servers you give it a good thorough wiping first.

See Chris’s article on how to dispose of hard drives for option #3: Darik’s Boot and Nuke to wipe the drive and then turn it into an external drive.

3.) Get REALLY Creative!

Finally, if you just have no reason at all to keep using the drive with a computer at all, you can get really creative with the physical drives themselves.

You can recycle hard drives into all sorts of things. For example check this video out:

This guy took a hard drive and turned it into an LED clock with multiple color modes. It’s a very awesome, creative way to recycle hard drives and you could do something like this with yours!

So you can either safely dispose of the drives like Chris taught you how to do, or you can repurpose them for something. I’m going to go with the LED clock idea for at least one.

What will you do with them?

How do you recycle hard drives in your business? Do you reuse them, donate them, turn them into something new? Let’s us know!

Now that you’ve made the decision to get a server for your SMB, there’s still more to consider. This is a big decision, as its the hardware that’s going to be supporting your whole business.

With the advent of virtualization, and Cloud computing, you have more options added to the mix, which can Cloud the issue. Here’s some information that will help you make a more informed choice when choosing a server.

What’s The Deal With Virtualization?

Since computers are mostly logical constructs, you can bet that we’ve found ways to make them pretend to be other, small computers.

Virtualization is a difficult concept to explain, but generally works like this: you can divvy up the resources of one larger machine to run several smaller ones independently.

We use such virtualized machines to remove hardware issues, and to allow flexible use of server resources. When not operating at peak load, most servers are only using a small part of their processing power.

Consolidating these disparate servers into a VM host allows you to focus your resources on that machine. It can be a great deal easier to administer a single machine and abstract the hardware issues for it’s hosted servers.

As a common technology, virtualization usually only figures into choosing a server when you’re considering NAS or Home servers (which cannot virtualize) and weighing those against fully-fledged servers.

What About Choosing A Server In The Cloud?

Since Cloud hosting is cheap and available, it’s one of the more enticing options when choosing a server.

However, there are some considerations.

If you work with large (multiple gigabyte) files that you download and upload from your workstation to server regularly, a Cloud server probably isn’t for you.

Your connection to the server is your connection to the Internet. Poor service speeds, or enough people talking on Skype or watching Hulu can make your load times last an eternity.

If you’re interested in choosing a server in the Cloud, consider reading some of our previous articles for more in-depth information on picking a provider and strategies for coping with Cloud limitations.

So What Are My Actual Options?

Network-Attached Storage (NAS): Network-Attached Storage is, as the name suggests, for storage and storage alone.

If you need a few more terabytes of space and want it to be accessible from all your computers, but don’t want to invest in a whole server. Or if you have a tower/rack server to upgrade, a NAS is the ‘server’ for you. Sporting an extremely basic operating system, these only do filesharing.

Home Server: A server running Windows Home Server is a good way to get your single-person network in order.

You might have a couple of workstations and some assorted printers around which you use for basic clerical work. This is the sort of server you choose when you need to put those things in one place — with a centralized area for all your filesharing needs (no more revisioned documents!) and to share out printers, you’ll be curing a headache you’ve had for a while.

Tower: These are the first ‘real’ servers on your shopping list.

Essentially souped-up workstations, these are actually built from the ground up to do the sort of tasks that you’ve probably had a workstation doing.

A tower server uses business/enterprise-grade hardware, which handles high resource usage much more gracefully. Unlike workstation computers, these typically have at least two CPU slots, and come with a standard of 8+ GB of ram.

While you may not need this much capacity, you probably don’t want too much less.

Rack servers: By the time you start seeing these, you’ll already have some serious infrastructure in your office.

These are the Big Guns; while you can get ones with similar specs to Tower servers, there’s probably no point. Enterprise-grade hardware means that these can operate at capacity day-in and day-out for years before you need to replace anything.

Cloud servers: Once again, I won’t delve too deeply into Cloud Computing, as we have other articles that explain in depth.

A great option for business who aren’t completely sure of their requirements, or know that they’ll be scaling up and down often, a Cloud server offers unparalleled opportunity to easily expand or shrink your capacity to fit your needs.

Choosing a server is a tricky decision. In most cases, you have to live with your choice for some time; if you haven’t selected an option that adequately covers your needs, and likely future needs for the next six months, you’ll be in hot water sooner or later.

It’s important to gauge your future needs as much, or more-so than your current ones. Consider whether your server choice can be upgraded easily, or if you’ll have to replace the whole thing when such a time comes (this is mostly an issue for NAS, home servers, and tower servers).

When choosing a server for your SMB what do you consider to be most important? Let us know your thoughts!

Maybe it’s because the business owner does not understand exactly how it works or what is needed. Maybe the business owner does understand but really cannot afford to allocate too much budget towards it because it is needed for other things.

Finally, maybe the business owner has been made aware or is well aware the infrastructure needs more attention but the business owner just wants to put a bandaid on it and call it good.

No Reason To Ignore

None of these are good reasons why a business owner should neglect an IT infrastructure.

The reason being is because technology for your business is critical. When you think about it, it is what makes your business work.

Using decade old hardware in your NOC (Network Operations Center) or server farm or what have you is not only disaster waiting to happen, it stunts growth of your own business. A SMB owner must dedicate some funding to an IT infrastructure budget to fix these problems.

If your business is growing, but your IT infrastructure is not, then you’re only growing a fraction of what you think you might be.

An IT Infrastructure Budget Is Possible And Easy

I completely understand, an IT infrastructure budget is a big factor when deciding what you can do for your company’s network. Especially, if you are small enough that you can’t afford to hire a full-time IT employee.

Thankfully, there is a cost effective solution to this. Try a Managed Service Contract!

A Managed Service Contract can be customized to the best price and agreement so you can get the best out of your IT infrastructure budget. It will allow you to control your budget with a monthly fee rather than expensive emergency rates.

Not only does it provide constant maintenance of your entire network, but if your hardware does have a problem, you can call on them to fix it. Plus, the fix will be a long term solution as opposed to a quick fix solution that will only break later.

Do you want to risk losing time and money when your infrastructure fails?

Talk To Your Team

If you are a larger business and have a dedicated IT staff take the time to talk to your IT team. Talk about things that are feasible given a more reasonable IT infrastructure budget. Offer more time to work on things to improve your infrastructure.

If the team is shooting for the stars, don’t pull back too much. Just enough to stay within a certain constraint, but not enough you stunt growth.

Trust me, your IT department will thank you for putting effort on that side of things, and your business will definitely grow because of it.

Communication Is Important

To the business owner who does not understand why this is important, have a discussion with your IT consultants or department.

I’ve seen enough IT teams to know there is always someone who can tell you flat out why having decade old hardware or why quick and dirty fixes are bad for the long term.

Listen to them, try to understand them. Barring that, look no further than a Managed Service contract, who will do all of this for you.

Do you make sure your company has an IT infrastructure budget? What do you plan for most? Let us know your thoughts!

The reason for this is because employees are being allowed to bring in their own devices to work on.

Lets say you have a standard for a laptop or a corporate phone that you use for work purposes only. You hand the device to one of your employees and the employee tells you, “Can I just use my own device?”

The Problem With Personal Devices

By allowing your employee to do this you are giving the employee the freedom to store sensitive material on their personal computer that you did not provide for them and possibly negating any efforts at keeping data safe.

Likewise it could be the other way around, where the device you issue them is treated as their own personal computer and they go and store personal data on a corporate hard drive.

This is a two-way street for being an issue, but they both lead to the exact same issue in the end; data theft. Hard drives from an employee’s computer that get repurposed or disposed of generally get formatted.

It is assumed that the data is gone and the hard drive is safe to do other things with.

Keeping Data Safe Is Not An Easy Task

But according to an ICO report out of 200 hard drives that were collected, 48% of them still had information on them and 11% of them found that data to be personal data.

According to the report, “In total 34,000 files containing personal or corporate information were recovered from the devices. At least two of the hard drives contained enough information to enable someone to steal the former owner’s identity.”

As a note, drives that were wiped clean ‘also’ had files to be found with the use of FREE forensics tools that can be obtained.

This is reason for you, as a small business owner to take caution on keeping data safe.

Set BYOD Policies

Now truth be told I am guilty way back when of bringing my own device in to have my personal computer on the corporate network but I never did business on it nor did I put anything personal on my work machine.

However thinking back on it and what I know now that was no excuse. It should not have been done because of what ‘could’ have happened.

When an employee brings their own laptop in for work a yellow flag should be raised for caution. What could one of your employees do with that laptop on your network? It may be best to just enact a policy that simply does not allow it at all.

Likewise you should have a policy that says any equipment you give the employee to do their job, laptop, smart phone, desktop computer at the office shall not be used for personal uses.

It covers the bases of saying hey, we wanna protect our own assets as much as we don’t want you compromising your own. As a SMB owner, you must take the task of keeping data safe as your first priority.

Format Properly

And finally, when you get a device back from the employee be sure to do more than just a normal format.

On laptops and desktops especially there are tools you can get for your IT department that allows them to not only to format the hard drives, but wipe them completely clean of any remnants of use from the previous user.

This makes it so that if you decide to dispose of those hard drives, there is nothing left for any pilferer to get off of them. Just a clean slate drive.

Have you had problems with keeping data safe in your company? What steps are you taking as a precaution? Share your experience!

As a SMB owner, you’re often called upon to cut costs where you can. Every dollar counts twice as much as for your larger competitors, and if you’re in the Southwest, you already know how expensive energy is.

The very same laws that require we protect the environment and keep our air clean means that we can’t generate cheap energy. If you’re looking to cut down on operating costs, it may be time to consider Cloud energy savings.

Machines operating in the cloud can be anywhere– thousands of miles away is about as fast as next door, so with availability out of the picture, what should you consider to lower your operating costs, and cash in on Cloud energy savings?

While The Concept Of Cloud Energy Savings Is Appealing, How Does It Really Work?

There’s a few primary factors that directly affect energy costs.

Fuels: While we’d like to imagine everybody wants to save the environment and breathe clean air, coal is a relatively inexpensive fuel. States with no laws against burning coal can count on cheaper energy costs.

Weather Conditions: States with a high level of rain or snowfall often have hydroelectric dams to generate power. Those states that are very hot during the summer, or experience more extreme weather often suffer from spikes in demand– driving up prices.

Price Regulations: In some States, the price of energy is regulated by Public Service Commissions, giving a more flat cost basis.

States in the midwest tend to have cheaper energy, and make an excellent location to go shopping for some power-saving rackspace.

Scale Your Capacity For More Cloud Energy Savings

As a SMB, you don’t want to be paying for more Cloud capacity than you absolutely need. Cloud computing gives you a great advantage by allowing you to add exactly as much as you need– even scale down if you find you don’t need as much.

For you, this doesn’t equate to direct Cloud energy savings, but you pay the price of electricity, maintenance, and licensing in the fees you pay to your Cloud provider.

For Cloud Providers, Big Turning Off A Server Isn’t A Death-knell

Your servers host dozens of virtual machines, which may be leased for weeks, months, or years. As your customers scale up, you increase your hardware capacity to match. When they scale down, you now have the option of consolidating and taking servers offline.

This equates to a fair bit of savings.

Keeping those servers running costs you, and the cooling to keep them from melting can cost just as much. You’re the real champion of Cloud energy savings, finding a way to balance these costs with capacity.

So What’s That Mean For You?

Your servers are probably crammed into a spare closet somewhere, overheating daily and sucking down voltage.

If you live in a Southern state, you could easily be looking at large AC bills for keeping your servers running during the summer months. The cost of running the same server in a different location varies greatly.

Power isn’t the only consideration to take when you’re looking at the Cloud, but if you live in a state where its expensive, consider the Cloud energy savings.

Have you considered harnessing the cloud as a way to save energy and reduce your SMB energy budget? Let us know your ideas!

A free file storage and sharing service that you can upload files to Google and be able to share them with others or just store them and access them somewhere else.

I took a read at their Terms of Service however, and was a little shocked to see that Google Drive’s Terms of Service is actually slightly modified to be different from their brand new “One Terms Of Service For All” policy which was implemented earlier this year. Here’s what it says,

Google Drive Terms Of Service

“Your Content in our Services: When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide licence to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes that we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.

The rights that you grant in this licence are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This licence continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing that you have added to Google Maps).” Full TOS.

What Does This Mean For You?

It means you, as a small business owner, may use this free service to store files much like a cloud computing service as well as share them between co-workers and clients without needing to pay for a service, like Cloud Computing.

However according to these terms it means that, while Google does not own your files that you upload they can USE those files for whatever purpose that they have in mind for them.

Now it seems regulated to “improving Google services” but do you feel comfortable using Google Drive for your sensitive material?

Google Drive & SMBs – Not A Good Match

Personally, in your position as the small business owner I wouldn’t take this option.

I would take another free option that will not use my files for any reason. This option is called Dropbox and I have had the pleasure of using Dropbox so I am a bit more familiar with it.

How it works is you get a ‘Drive’ on your computer (It’s not a real drive it’s more a virtual drive) and you can drag and drop files into folders in the Dropbox drive.

From there, you can offer links to share with other people how to get to the files, be them documents, pictures, ect.. Take a look at one particular article of Dropbox’s Terms of Service though:

“Your Stuff & Your Privacy: By using our Services you provide us with information, files, and folders that you submit to Dropbox (together, “your stuff”). You retain full ownership to your stuff. We don’t claim any ownership to any of it. These Terms do not grant us any rights to your stuff or intellectual property except for the limited rights that are needed to run the Services, as explained below.” Full TOS

What’s that? I keep the rights and ownership to my stuff and you WON’T use it? And you’re still a free option?! Well that sounds a lot more enticing!

Do Your Homework

In the end though these options are free, so it doesn’t matter which one you choose as they both essentially do the same thing.

Though for the sake of sensitivity to the files I may share on one of these services, I don’t think for a small business I should use Google Drive, but instead Dropbox.

Dropbox had the exact same problem with their TOS at the beginning of their services, so hopefully Google will take the example and fix this problem, but for now Dropbox is the better option. At least Dropbox does not say that they can continue to use my files even if I stop using the service!

Have you thought about using Google Drive for your SMB? Has their TOS changed your mind? Share your thoughts!

Maybe you ask yourself, “How can there possibly be that number of viruses?”

In 2008, Computerworld predicted that there the total number of viruses would rise to over 1 million viruses by 2009. In fact, the number of viruses in 2009 was a bit higher– 1.5 million– wholly new viruses detected that year alone.

According to the latest reports released from one of the leading Antivirus software makers, Symantec, their current virus definitions file has over 17 million distinct signatures.

That sounds completely unreal, is that really the number of viruses floating around out there, though?

Number Of Viruses: How Many Are There?!

From a base perspective, there aren’t really that many; viruses-makers use a set of techniques called Obfuscation, Packaging, and Other Platforms which skew the numbers.

1.) Obfuscation

No matter how it’s achieved, the object of obfuscation is to mask the viruses’ signatures such that your antivirus can’t tell them apart from another, innocuous piece of code.

Since computers are such an open platform (you can make anything!), detecting viruses Is tricky. This usually consists of researchers a virus with a honey-pot system (think Winnie the Pooh and his jars), then extracting a signature that they can use to recognize a virus again in the future.

By changing the code, the viruses can slip through.

2.) Packaging

Another set of detection rules exist for Packaging.

These are code ‘wrappers’ that deliver the virus payload to your computer. Often, the writer will tweak the Packaging to net more users, or to provide another layer of obfuscation for avoiding filters and Antiviruses.

Changes in the Packaging are also included in anti-virus updates, and that pumps up the apparent number of viruses that you’re protected from.

3.) Other Platforms

Those virus definition updates don’t just apply to your Windows operating systems. To cut down on the number of viruses floating around on the web in general.

These are still beneficial to you, especially if you happen to have a smartphone… if you charge your iPhone or Android device any number of viruses can slip through from your computer to your handheld device.

Better to squelch those before they rack up your long-distance charges, or post naughty pictures to your Facebook timeline.

Well, ultimately, we don’t really know for sure what the number of viruses out there really is. Polymorphic viruses change daily, and the writers are always putting out new variations, or whole new strains.

It’s a never-ending battle between the virus writers and the researchers who capture and analyze them.

What’s your take on the number of viruses? Do you think the experts are right or overestimating? Let us know your thoughts!

If you’ve been paying attention to Internet legislation for the past twelve months, two bills have been shelved down so far: SOPA and PIPA.

Both SOPA and PIPA had a high level of opposition from companies and individuals involved in the tech field, and despite a high level of support from lobbyists and intellectual property holders, the protests and internet blackout day were very successful in forcing greater public awareness.

CISPA, or Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, is another stab at legislating the type of security provisions that national agencies have been enjoying under the Patriot Act.

Why Is There Opposition To It?

CISPA is intended to operate as a bill granting greater powers for national security agencies to crack down on people and groups using the internet to facilitate crimes.

Despite the lack of provisions granting higher protection of intellectual properties, CISPA has some fundamental flaws which allows for the sharing of information to many public and private agencies.

There are already means for government agencies to acquire information on you — it only requires a single warrant. CISPA’s purpose is to remove 4th Amendment coverage from the Internet entirely.

The EFF has been very outspoken against CISPA, pointing at failings in the language of the proposed bill.

“[CISPA contains] sweeping language [that] would give companies and the government new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement. It could also be a powerful weapon to use against whistleblower websites like WikiLeaks.”

CISPA, in its current form, is not only opposed by individuals, but the White House has suggested that the bill would be vetoed — if it makes it to the President.

“The administration looks forward to continuing to engage with the Congress in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to enact cybersecurity legislation to address these critical issues,however, for the reasons stated herein, if H.R. 3523 were presented to the president, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill.”

Despite the large public opposition to CISPA, there has been little movement to protest the bill, especially from the companies that backed the fight against SOPA and PIPA.

Who Would Even Back CISPA If It’s So Bad?

CISPA is backed by over 800 companies, a fact that is largely attributed to a focus on surveillance of individuals. In the face of growing opposition from the public, a handful of companies have already begun to back down and recant previous support of the bill.

Microsoft recently reversed their support of CISPA, citing failures to protect privacy.

“Microsoft has previously stated support for efforts to improve cyber security, and sharing threat information is an important component of those efforts. Improvements to the way this information is shared would help companies better protect customers, and online services in the United States and around the world from criminal attack. Microsoft believes that any proposed legislation should facilitate the voluntary sharing of cyber threat information in a manner that allows us to honor the privacy and security promises we make to our customers.

Legislation passed by the House of Representatives yesterday is a first step in this legislative process. Since November, there has been active, constructive dialogue to identify and address concerns about the House bill, and several important changes were incorporated. We look forward to continuing to work with members of Congress, consumer groups, the civil liberties community and industry colleagues as the debate moves to the Senate to ensure the final legislation helps to tackle the real threat of cybercrime while protecting consumer privacy.”

Facebook, the target of numerous privacy infringement allegations, has thrown support behind the bill, praising it for being thoughtful, bipartisan, and protecting the privacy rights of its users.

“[removing] burdensome rules that currently can inhibit protection of the cyber ecosystem, and [helping] provide a more established structure for sharing within the cyber community while still respecting the privacy rights and expectations of our users.”
Perhaps Congress aren’t the only ones slacking on their reading assignments.

You can read more glowing endorsements at House.gov.

What Does CISPA Mean For Me, As A SMB Owner?

Much like with SOPA and PIPA, your ISP will be passing all of your internet traffic to the authorities not-mentioned-by-name-in-the-bill, who are granted the power to pass that information on as they deem fit.

With CISPA, you’re going to need to protect yourself more than ever, and that will require much greater policing of your customers’ and employees’ use of your internet connection.

WiFi access: Instead of offering free WiFi to your customers, you may have to consider using a whitelist of only a handful of internet news sites, or shutting down your access point for good.

CISPA vs Cloud: Any company using a Cloud service will have all its data and communications subject to scrutiny.

Confidentiality Clause: Particularly for businesses working in the medical and financial industries, CISPA is disastrous, as it means that online confidentiality can no longer be guaranteed.

Can you allow Microsoft to handle your email, or Rackspace to store your data, or Salesforce to hold your customers’ data when all your records could be pulled without warrant in the name of “security”?

With the current provisions in the bill, the information could be requisitioned from any agency and passed on to other entities, even your competitors. All it takes is one slipup, or one case of malfeasance for all your data to fall into someone else’s hands.

The bill still has to pass muster in the Senate, and then go to the President for a final chance at a veto. Despite this, there’s a possibility CISPA could pass.

While the fight against CISPA has been lackluster thus far, there are more and more calls to action every day. Except some additional protests and blackouts in the coming weeks while the Senate deliberates.

Have you been keeping up with the developing news about CISPA? Are you worried about if it passes how it will affect your SMB? Share your thoughts!

Sure you have your PCs that you may have gotten a deal for buying in bulk, but what else is there? What can you do to cut down on costs for things like software?

Here are some tips you can use to keep those costs down.

1.) Open Source Options Are Free Options

Open Source options are actually very good options if you need to be thrifty on your software and reduce IT costs.

Can’t afford Microsoft Office? Try OpenOffice, or Google Docs. Are you a graphics editor but Photoshop is way too expensive for your company to get you? GIMP may suffice.

With some open source programs there is barely any noticeable difference and work similar to the program you are replacing. Others however have a bit of a learning curve. But hey, it’s free so it’s not bad if you have to spend a little more time learning.

2.) Buying In Bulk Costs Less In The Long Run

Software vendors run deals where if you buy X amount of a particular software, or a commercial license for a piece of software, you’ll save overall. The upfront costs will be more, but the individual price for each license will be less.

Buying software in bulk is actually cheaper in the long run than if you were to buy individual copies over a length of time. If you have the money to outfit all your computers at once with licenses, this is almost always the best route to go when trying to reduce IT costs.

Speak to your local software dealers to see what sort of commercial/bulk deals you can get.

3.) Shop Around

Don’t just buy the software from the first vendor you find.

In general, software tends to be a set cost, but sometimes a particular vendor may be having a sale on a certain program or a special offer if you buy in bulk as we mentioned above.

When you are trying to reduce IT cost, sometimes purchasing an older version of the software can save some cash.

Shop at different stores to see if they are still offering last years release. If the program hasn’t changed that much, then the older program may be an option for your business.

4.) Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

It happens to the best of us.

We see this nifty piece of software we want. We’ll say, Photoshop for instance here. But the price tag on it is just too much for the business to afford.

Don’t get it then!

If you can’t afford it, don’t force yourself to get it. The goal is to reduce IT costs, not increase them.

If you can afford to get it later, just keep it on a Wish List somewhere. Find an alternative open source program or use a free trial to get through the time till you can afford the software.

Reduce IT Costs With Free Software

These tips should help you with your budgeting on the software side of things.

Now honestly, I would look for every free option you can find, unless there is some certain feature from a paid piece of software that you or your employees absolutely needs. That would help a lot especially if you are working with a conservative budget.

But hopefully this will help!

What are your tricks to reduce IT costs through software in your business? Share your tips!