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Less Is More In The Credit Crunch
19th Dec 2008
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Less Is More In The Credit Crunch
It is often fashionable to declare that less is more but in these straitened economic times that maxim has never been more relevant. With a recent survey showing that as many as 50 small businesses are closing every day in the UK and half saying trade has slumped, it is a battle for the survival of the fittest.
So as the credit crunch begins to bite more ferociously, trimming the fat to create a lean and healthy business becomes a top priority for everyone from one-man bands to multi-nationals.
And one of the most effective ways to cut costs and improve productivity today is to outsource IT and telecoms.
Contracting the management of IT infrastructure outside your own organisation can help businesses take control of outgoings, save on expensive salaries, recruitment, training and various other aspects of information technology.
And it is a trend that Aberdeen businessman Steve Redhead has seen start to boom in the North-east.
"More and more companies are outsourcing their requirements and handing their IT and telecom headaches over to the experts," he said.
And, according to Steve, who is managing director of Mother Technologies Limited - one of the fastest growing IT and telecoms providers in the North-east - there are so many reasons why it makes sense.
"Many small businesses have an internal IT capability of their own. This often takes the shape of an individual who possesses IT knowledge over and above his or her peers," he explained.
"The percentage of time this individual lends to IT issues is either afforded or accepted by the company. But as businesses grow, so too does the complexity of their data network and the demand for expertise, advice and technical support."
The increase in lost time of a member of staff removed from their primary role eventually becomes unacceptable and businesses start looking for a dedicated resource to fulfil this requirement. Satisfying this need internally burdens the company in many ways, so outsourcing is an ideal solution.
"We have installed more than 450 phone systems in the Aberdeen area and having the combined expertise of engineers in IT and telecoms provides a useful, single source for telecom, server, desktop and network support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"It also eliminates the financial strains of running an internal department and it means you can move your business forward with access to a higher level of expertise. Plus you have no salaries, recruitment, training or other costly overheads."
But the best single source operators also offer much more, say Steve Redhead: "Today, telephone systems aren't just sharing the same computer network cabling, they are fully integrated into the local and wide area network infrastructure. It's therefore fundamental that support companies and maintainers have these multi-disciplines in-house. Without them, business can't even begin to conjure some of the solutions that we're winning business with today."
Other benefits include an increase in productivity, with less time spent on troubleshooting; stronger skill-sets to minimise unscheduled downtime and the removal of a dependency on in-house staff.
It also means companies are exposed to new technologies that can help their business and it allows them to concentrate on their core businesses - managing more with less.
"Removing the hassle factor definitely makes for a happier working environment," says Steve Redhead. "And in this economic climate you need something to make you smile!"
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