Tag: technology budgets

  • 5 Ways A Managed Service Provider Helps You Predict Future Technology Spending

    5 Ways A Managed Service Provider Helps You Predict Future Technology Spending

    Managing technology costs can feel like trying to hit a moving target, especially when you’re balancing growth, compliance, and the need to stay competitive. That’s where we come in. As your trusted IT partner, we don’t just keep your systems running – we help you look ahead and plan smarter.

    Here are five ways a managed service provider like Valley Techlogic helps businesses like yours predict and manage future technology spending:

    1. We Map Out Your Technology Lifecycle

    From aging laptops to outdated software, every technology asset has a lifespan. At Valley Techlogic, we actively track the condition and performance of your IT equipment and applications. We’ll let you know well in advance when it’s time to replace or upgrade, allowing you to spread out costs and avoid unexpected failures or downtime.

    Real-World Example: Instead of replacing 20 employee devices all at once, we’ll help you stagger replacements over several months, keeping your team productive and your budget balanced.

    1. We Monitor Usage Trends to Forecast Growth

    We use powerful monitoring tools to analyze your IT usage across cloud services, licenses, bandwidth, and storage. This allows us to identify growth trends and project when additional resources will be needed, before they affect your operations or budget.

    Real-World Example: If your Microsoft 365 OneDrive storage is steadily climbing, we’ll alert you before you hit your plan’s limit, and help you prepare for the next tier, avoiding surprise charges.

    1. We Build Strategic IT Roadmaps Just for You

    At Valley Techlogic, we believe your technology should align with your business goals. That’s why we create detailed IT roadmaps tailored to your growth plans. Whether you’re expanding locations, migrating to the cloud, or upgrading your cybersecurity posture, we’ll outline the timeline, strategy, and associated costs so you can plan ahead.

    Real-World Example: Planning to open a new office? We’ll map out all your infrastructure needs, from network installation to secure connectivity, and give you a budget you can bank on.

    1. We Help You Stay Ahead of Vendor Pricing Changes

    Keeping track of software licenses, vendor contracts, and pricing changes can be overwhelming. We manage those vendor relationships for you and stay ahead of any cost increases. We’ll alert you to renewals, help negotiate better deals, and recommend alternatives when appropriate.

    Real-World Example: If your VoIP vendor plans a 20% price hike, we’ll let you know early and offer options like renewing ahead of the increase or switching to a more affordable solution we’ve already vetted.

    1. We Identify Risks That Could Lead to Costly Surprises

    Reactive IT spending often stems from a lack of foresight around risks like cybersecurity gaps or compliance issues. Through regular assessments, Valley Techlogic identifies vulnerabilities and provides proactive solutions. Addressing these risks now can save your business from unexpected fines, breaches, or data loss.

    Real-World Example: We’ve helped clients avoid costly ransomware incidents by spotting outdated firewall configurations and implementing stronger security protocols, before attackers could strike.

    At Valley Techlogic, we don’t just support your technology we help you strategically manage it. With our proactive approach, you’ll always have a clear view of what’s ahead and how to budget for it.

    Ready to take the guesswork out of your IT spending? Contact us today and let’s plan your technology future together.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on X at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Apple releases their new M4 chip and it’s getting rave reviews, also considering the benefits of Apple vs Microsoft for your office

    Apple releases their new M4 chip and it’s getting rave reviews, also considering the benefits of Apple vs Microsoft for your office

    As a Microsoft partner we have to be honest, we don’t usually recommend Apple products to our clients. For us as an IT service provider the more cohesive a client’s hardware stack is the easier it is for us to recommend a concentric approach to your services. When all devices are from the same vendor and of a similar age and specifications you can take the same approach to managing them across the board.

    However, that ease is only slightly advantageous on our end, the truth is it’s better to meet a clients needs for supplying their employees with the right device for their workflow than trying to have everyone on the same type of device across the board just to make managing them slightly easier.

    For some businesses that means having more powerful devices for certain admin employees with a heavy workflow, having tiny devices for interns and those who aren’t using a computer very often, laptops for those on the go very frequently, and Apple products for those who depend on certain Apple software to do their day-to-day job (often those in creative fields) or those who just prefer the Apple UI to the Windows UI.

    With the roll out of this new M4 chip we will see broader applications for those who need a small device that still packs a big punch, while it’s currently only available on the iPad we are certain we will see lighter, faster laptops sporting this new chip soon.

    The benchmarks currently available for this chip are impressive as well, with it coming in at being a 50% increase in performance over their M2 chips and outpacing Intel’s own current top CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H while using only one fourth of the power according to reports.

    So not only will the devices sporting this chip be faster, but they will also likely have improved battery life over the competition as well.

    Of course, price is another consideration especially when trying to budget for an office, with the 11-inch iPad coming in at a starting price of $999 we anticipate laptops using this new technology will be on the spendy side as well. This is of course not unheard of when buying new tech though and something we often see with new graphics cards, new CPU’s from other makers, etc. If you want the latest in greatest in technology, you will have to be prepared to pay for it.

    According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the first M4 MacBook Pro could launch around the end of 2024. He anticipates we won’t see a full roll out of the new product line until early 2025.

    If outfitting your office with devices that meet your employee’s needs, upgrading older devices, or just evaluating your hardware stack is something you’re considering, Valley Techlogic is able to help.

    As you can see, procurement assistance is one of the services we offer to our customers at no additional cost. Reach out today and learn more about how we can assist you in bringing your office into greater technological productivity in 2024.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • 5 Reasons to have an annual meeting with your IT service provider and how to make the most of it

    5 Reasons to have an annual meeting with your IT service provider and how to make the most of it

    If you’re a small business owner and you work with an outsourced IT provider you’re not alone, statistics vary but it’s estimated up to 60% of small businesses utilize a third-party resource for their IT.

    This can look different depending on your particular size and needs, for some businesses it can look like support for existing IT staff, for other businesses their entire IT needs are shifted onto a third party IT resource. There is no one size fits all solution, the needs of your business are unique and your IT support provider should be a resource for helping you grow your business and keep up with the technology demands of modern work places.

    That is why it’s so important you meet with your IT team at the minimum annually, although we really could make a strong argument for quarterly (especially during times of intense growth or change within your business). Keeping them in the loop allows them to provide for your business adequately and on the opposite end you can learn about their recommendations for your business, which are often times free or low-cost solutions and improvements to your technology infrastructure and security.

    Even for recommendations that carry a cost you can plan for these things in advance rather than having it come up as an unpleasant surprise later on, an example would be let’s say their reporting has discovered your on-premises server is struggling to keep up with your demand or even showing signs of failure. This could be talked about in a meeting ahead of time but instead it might become a major headache when the server fails spontaneously and has to be replaced on the spot. Maybe you would have thought about making the move to the cloud this year or could have planned out your hardware purchases to coincide with more favorable timing, you’ll never know but hindsight is 20/20 and you will probably make a different choice going forward.

    So, what are the 5 reasons to have an annual meeting with your IT service provider?

    1. Future Planning: As we outlined in the scenario above, having this meeting allows you to create a plan for the year ahead. If your business has a busy season (most of us do) you can schedule any maintenance or downtime during the off-season. You can plan out hardware purchasing, software upgrades, cybersecurity improvements and more.
    2. Review Documentation: Your annual meeting is also a great time to review any reports your IT service provider has created for your business. At Valley Techlogic we’re constantly tracking items we’re doing on the back end for our clients, the regular maintenance, our 24/7 cyber security monitoring, backup and data services we provide just to name a few.
    3. Project Planning: We also suggest touching on any projects you would like to complete, such as switching out your traditional landline system to VoIP, security cameras (if they provide that service) and any installation or infrastructure projects. Even if you’re not ready to commit to them now, keeping your IT provider in the loop will allow them to plan for these projects on their end as well and keep them in mind when doing their own scheduling.
    4. Service Delivery Improvements: Whether you’re currently happy with your IT providers’ services or not, are they aware of it? Your annual meeting is a great time to review the services you have with your provider and whether they’re currently meeting your expectations (if they’re not, maybe it’s time to make a change and our Switching IT providers kit can help you do it).
    5. Reviewing Past Work: In the same vein, this annual meeting should also be used for reviewing the work they have done for you this last year and any follow-up requests. Despite all the tools and widgets we use in the IT industry, we’re still not omnipresent and sometimes a request is better delivered verbally. They will probably have in their meeting notes items they wish to go over and revisit to make sure you were satisfied with the outcome as well.

    We could address even more benefits of having this an annual meeting with your provider but these five will greatly improve the services they’re able to provide for your business and get you the most value out of the service you’re paying for.

    If you’re working with an IT service provider who doesn’t give you the option of meeting annually, it would be our recommendation you look for a new provider. Our Switching IT Provider’s kit makes it easy to switch (we even provide you with a template letter for discontinuing your service) and if you’re looking for an IT service provider who makes meeting with clients regularly a priority, than why not give Valley Techlogic a shot by clicking here or the image below.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.