Four
Key Questions that CFO’s should be asking their IT department heads
By Smart 3rd Party, a friend to Andersen Alumni
The 2019
budgeting season is officially upon us. With the ever-changing IT landscape and
the increased scrutiny of IT spending, how will you optimize your IT budget? First, think low hanging fruit. First assess
the key components of your infrastructure, such as the support and maintenance
of IT hardware (server, storage, and networking devices), where 15% - 25% of
enterprise IT budgets are consumed.
Original
Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”), such as IBM,
Cisco, Dell EMC etc., provide quality support, but for only a finite period of
time. Built in obsolesce, product
upgrades, and increasing post warranty maintenance costs drive the OEMs’
business model.
Tightening budgets and increase pricing for OEM support open doors for
Third-Party Maintenance providers, or TPMs.
TPMs offer flexible, customizable contracts, averaging 60% savings off
OEM support prices, and in some cases, up to 95% off, according to a recent
Gartner study.
Four Key
Questions that CFO’s should be asking their IT department heads when aiming to
optimize IT operating costs:
- What is the actual useful life of our IT Hardware assets and when is our next upgrade?
- What is our annual maintenance cost of IT Hardware vs. the number of annual service calls?
- When was the last time to Maintenance Audit was performed?
- What percentage of your annual maintenance spending is with OEM’s vs. TPMs?
About Us: Smart 3rd Party is a Pure-Play, Third-Party Maintenance provider focusing strictly on supporting clients’ infrastructure and providing a high-quality service experience at a competitive price. Using a Maintenance Cost Audit, S3P can determine where inefficient spending exists and how to leverage both OEM and Third-Party Maintenance in a blended, hybrid-IT solution, tailored to your environment. For more information please contact kpeck@smart3rdparty.com