Information Technology Economics for Small Business
Consider the convergence of the following technologies:
- Soft as a Service (SaaS)
- Free software a la Google and others
- Laptops and netbooks prices dropping every year and especially this year.
- 3G communication really being available throughout the country
It is clearly time for you to reconsider your Information Technology decisions of the past. Your large competitors are already beginning to implement strategy using these technologies to lower the cost of sales. Consider the following opportunities to reduce your IT business costs.
Re-purpose your servers for your unique business apps only by;
1. Getting the mail server and other standard apps out of your shop allowing you to free both equipment and your IT staff to focus on the apps that are your true competitive advantages.
2. Get all of your apps into web browsers. The browser is the standard client for applications. By doing that it simplifies the application development issues and that means you can consider using less expensive laptops and even consider netbooks for your employees. The trend is to drive Web 2.0 browser down into even lower cost platforms like Smartphones and even Playstations and Wiis.
3. Virtualize. The less travel you do, the less office space you use, the less people you employ,all lowering you operating cost.
4. With most wireless phone companies offering unlimited use for both voice and data for around $149 per month it means controllable expenses while outside of your office.
5. With business and competition abroad, and for your office and/or home use Voice over Internet (VoIP). It is available through many different phone companies other than your phone and cable companies. Skype for example is about $6/month for a telephone number and unlimited US and Canada phone calls.
