WHY YOUR 2025 IT BUDGET NEEDS A STRATEGIC OVERHALL, EXPERT TIPS AND INSIGHTS

While 2024 isn’t quite done with us yet, it’s not too early to plan for the future. Many organizations are already thinking about their 2025 IT department budget, and the coming year’s financial plan is unlikely to be business as usual. 

In particular, many enterprises are rethinking their annual IT budget in the wake of the continued trend of a remote workforce, automation, hybrid and cloud solutions, and mobile device management. Others may continue to downsize from a large headquarters smaller office locations that serve as a meeting hubs for individual teams. 

While some of these moves may free up funds that would have been used in past traditional ways, the need to ensure productivity, profitability, data security, and client satisfaction via your technology budget is more critical than ever before.  

Here are a couple of considerations as you think about your 2025 IT department budget. 

Choosing the Equipment – Hardware, Software, On Prem or Cloud 

First, determine what your goals are for the coming year. Are you trying to enable a remote workforce to work in new ways, and in new places? Are you hoping to deploy a new mobile device-driven solution? Maybe you’re aiming to implement strategic enhancements to deliver new types of internal or external experiences. 

Once you have defined your 2025 goals, you will have a better idea of the devices, software, and data protection, storage, and backup that you need to meet and exceed them. 

Before buying anything, though, be sure you understand what assets you have, as well as what you’re spending on it and how your organization is using it. Once you have visibility into your current technology, you can evaluate whether it’s going to help you meet your goals. If not, you can see where you might need to invest more. 

Another consideration is to figure out how — and where — people work best. The best hardware allows employees to work reliably, with minimal downtime and support. It also should provide access to all the programs, apps and communications channels they need to stay connected and do their jobs. 

Right now, that’s anything mobile. The most common product category we’re seeing in current IT budgets is mobile devices: smartphones, laptops, tablets and IoT devices. 

A thorough examination of equipment that is near end of life or warranty expiration should be conducted. While purchasing new equipment may have a higher initial price tag for yearend or your 2025 budget, new equipment coming with Windows 11 installed, or with memory and speed capacity to take productivity to a higher level may be the right call that should be made sooner rather than later. 

The right mix of devices will look different in every company, and even within individual departments. However, their inherent flexibility makes them versatile enough for everything from innovative retail experiences to new, no-contact customer engagements and internal process completion. 

Balancing Need with Cost 

Everyone likes to save a buck, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of productivity or employee satisfaction. 

Although it may seem counterintuitive, investing in the best devices to address a need can save money in the long run. To figure out the best options you can afford, understand what your costs are today. 

Also, keep in mind that equipment costs make up only a small portion of overall cost of ownership. You’ll also need to factor in connectivity, carrier plans, features, usage and more. 

Finally, remember that cheaper doesn’t equate to affordability. In many cases, an older or unreliable piece of equipment can be far more costly than a shiny, new, high-quality one. That’s because of “soft” costs in the form of increased downtime, lost productivity and employee unhappiness. This is especially true for remote-work environments, because employees don’t have access to onsite IT. 

What’s more, older devices sometimes don’t support the latest software updates, which creates a security risk. Cyber hacks and attacks create additional costs through downtime, lengthy fixes, loss of customer trust and more. These factors are crucial to consider when strategizing your 2025 technology budget.  

Rethinking Remote 

When everyone’s mobile, they care more about the devices they need to do their jobs from anywhere, and less about the in-office perks, like snacks and beverages that they can’t access anyway. 

By allocating funds in your annual IT budget for better equipment, you can help make your employees’ remote work lives easier and less frustrating. This can pay off in vastly improved employee satisfaction — and, in turn, greater customer satisfaction. 

Choose River Run 

River Run has a team of over 50 IT experts in all sectors and levels. Our Security Operations Center. R-Security, and CIO Team ensures that your data is protected and that you comply while adhering to regulations. Our roadmaps and network schematics create the framework for proper annual and milti-year budgeting while providing you with a competitive advantage in productivity, reliability, security, and customer satisfaction. We are here to help.  


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