budget

How to Include Disaster Recovery in 2022 Budget Planning

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Over the last few years, ransomware and cyberattacks have become increasingly more common. Organizations of every size and in every industry have been targeted, which shows that disaster recovery and business continuity are no longer an option. As your company or organization works on its 2022 budget, here are a few things to consider when planning for an outage, storm, attack or other disaster.

Incorporating Disaster Recovery into the 2022 Budget Process

According to the Disaster Recovery Journal, there are three questions to ask during the budgeting process. These will help identify risks and ensure that your business has the right resources in place for the 2022 budget year.

1. What risks does the company face?

Don’t think about risk only in terms of revenue. Consider the potential loss of reputation, of employee engagement, of systems and data, and more. How much risk is your company willing to accept?

2. What is the likelihood that the company will experience an event?

Remove the word ‘disaster’ from the conversation, and discuss the more likely potential causes of an outage or data loss. These range from simple human error or hardware failure, to power outages, storms and major meteorological events. Thinking along these lines will help you make more informed decisions.

3. What are the benefits of an increased investment in disaster recovery?

There are many benefits to investing more in disaster recovery and business continuity. Put simply, the faster your company can recover from disaster, the less impact on systems, customers, and revenue.

If you need help with IT budgeting or making a disaster recovery plan, give Vaultas a call! Leverage the power of the Vaultas Ecosystem to create a plan that meets your company’s unique needs. Contact us today to get started!

Vaultas is a technology ecosystem provider that facilitates direct access to any network or service provider. Our services include colocation, cloud, hybrid IT solutions, connectivity, communication and collaboration including UCaaS and CCaaS, disaster recovery and business continuity, hosting, consulting, energy conservation and much more.

Our primary ecosystem access points are located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Alexandria and St. Cloud, MN, and Milwaukee, WI, with remote access from anywhere in the world. Contact us to get started. 

How to Reduce Your Company’s Cloud Spend

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As more companies move more parts of their business to the cloud, many are finding it difficult to control cloud spend. Because of the many benefits of the cloud – which we’ll discuss below – there is good reason to understand and optimize cloud spending.

According to a recent report, companies are going over their annual cloud budget by an average of 23 percent this year. In addition, IT executives expect cloud spend to increase by nearly 50 percent in the coming year. So what can companies do to lower their overall cloud spend – and stay within their budget?

The Benefits of the Cloud

The cloud provides different benefits to individual companies, depending on their usage and needs. However, there are a few general benefits that apply widely across industries and companies – and are why the cloud is so universally appealing.

  • Flexibility
  • Scalability
  • Predictive costing
  • No upfront capital expenditures needed
  • Automatic maintenance and upgrades
  • And more!

 

 

 

How to Reduce Cloud Spend

Because cloud use varies so much from organization to organization, it’s difficult to list cost reduction strategies that apply universally. Megaport advises companies to optimize costs wherever possible. Cloud connectivity is generally a good place to start.

When organizations transition to the cloud, they often connect using public internet and VPNs. For greater security and performance, a dedicated circuit or other alternative may be a good option. However, that can result in a higher total cost of ownership.

So what’s the solution for over-budget cloud spend? Consider Network as a Service, or NaaS. Enlisting an experienced service provider to handle network design and implementation will save money, time, and confusion. NaaS will allow your company to streamline cloud connectivity, connect from a single network interface, transport data more securely, and make the cloud easier to use and understand.

Do you need help reducing your cloud spend? Contact Vaultas today!

Vaultas is a technology ecosystem provider that facilitates direct access to any network or service provider. Our services include colocation, cloud, hybrid IT solutions, connectivity, communication and collaboration including UCaaS and CCaaS, disaster recovery and business continuity, hosting, consulting, energy conservation and much more.

Our primary ecosystem access points are located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Alexandria and St. Cloud, MN, and Milwaukee, WI, with remote access from anywhere in the world. Contact us to get started. 

What to Include in an IT Budget

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For many businesses, 2020 was spent reacting to the ever-changing COVID situation. IT solutions were quickly patched together to ensure that employees had what they needed as they transitioned to new working environments. Now, after a tumultuous year, businesses are heading into 2021 with a clearer picture of what work will look like in the coming months. As your company begins the IT budget process, we have a few tips.

Involve the Right People

It’s important to have the right people involved in IT budget planning. This should include not only CIOs and IT managers, but other upper management representatives who can ensure buy-in. And while individual employees don’t need to be involved, keep them informed about IT budgets and how their IT use plays a part.

The Essential Components of a Comprehensive IT Budget

According to ETMA, these seven elements should be included your IT budget planning:

  1. Hardware: physical IT equipment and tools used by employees, including wiring
  2. Software: all software programs that run on employee computers and devices
  3. Subscriptions and Services: recurring licensing fees for software
  4. Capital: non-financial assets or good that are used in product creation
  5. Operations: costs incurred in running the IT department
  6. Projects: costs incurred in specific tasks and initiatives
  7. Buffer: funds for unforeseen expenses

Stick to the Budget – But Don’t Be Afraid to Make Changes

Once you’ve created the budget and allocated funds, revisit it throughout the year. This will not only ensure that you’re staying on budget, but will help you identify unbudgeted expenses that come up and include them in future planning.

If you need help with your 2021 IT budget, give Vaultas a call.

Vaultas is a technology ecosystem provider that facilitates direct access to any network or service provider. Our services include hybrid IT solutions,  data storage and backup, disaster recovery and business continuity services, hosting, colocation, cloud storage, data center consulting, VoIP and UCaaS solutions, and more. 

Our primary ecosystem access points are located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Alexandria and St. Cloud, MN, and Milwaukee, WI, with remote access from anywhere in the world. Contact us to get started.