Every IT environment is complex and demands constant attention from its IT professionals. From addressing budget concerns and EOSL dates to handling cyber threats, IT teams have always had a lot to manage. The ongoing pandemic adds new elements for IT professionals consider, with a massive increase in remote work and significant budget cuts.
With these new challenges, staying up to date on what we need to prepare for has never been more critical. When looking at today’s current issues, here are 5 challenges that many IT professionals face each and every day.
1. Cybersecurity
Like many IT professionals, you may be lying awake at night hoping your business won't be the next victim of a security threat. As companies expand their remote working schedules, the need for IT operations departments to maintain a safe and secure network has never been more important. Not only do you need to consider the threat of a hack from within your own network, but in the new age of work-from-home employees' personal and company properties are woven together. Working from home raises the question: how secure are employees’ home networks? Minimizing any and all associated risk makes this a top priority on every IT department's list.
2. Budget cuts
The job market has never been more competitive – just ask your HR department. With this competitiveness comes wage increases in order to hire the top talent, whether that be for your team or for accounting. Whichever it may be, that money has to come from somewhere. Yep, your IT budget. With ReluTech, our customers are combating budget cuts using our expansive portfolio of services; this includes third-party maintenance in your data centers, off-lease hardware, flexible rental agreements, and professional services to offset the cost of overpaying for your IT talent.
3. Multi-vendor agreements
There is no more stressful moment than when you’re searching for the number to call as a system is crashing. When my wifi goes down at home, I’m slamming drawers trying to find that tech support business card. Downtime is not an option when your customers and employees rely on your infrastructure to continuously be on guard. Wouldn’t it be great if you could have all that information in one place? Hop aboard the ReluTech Asset Management Portal (RAMP). RAMP allows our customers to monitor all contracts, regardless of vendor, in one, easy-to-use portal.
4. Knowing when to upgrade
It’s tough to decide when to upgrade your legacy systems— there are so many things to consider. When is the right time? Will my data migrate over to newer gear with zero interruptions? And will I stay with the same manufacturer? Can you afford it, will procurement release enough funds, but most importantly…. do you really need to? Sometimes you don’t.
Like many purchases in life, you have to evaluate your wants and needs. If your equipment is running, your customers and employees are happy, and the business is thriving, then leave it alone. The main reason these decisions come up is due to the lack of support you receive after the initial purchase contract expires. With ReluTech’s maintenance services, we help prolong the life of your initial investments. We support storage, networking, and server environments well after the manufacturer's end of service life dates.
5. Alternate revenue streams
IT departments are increasingly called upon to boost bottom lines by driving new revenue. The demand for IT to add value to the business has never been greater. Companies look to ReluTech to help come up with some ways to not only add value but show cost savings and earnings through unique offerings.
A common eyebrow raise among our customers is, “Wait, you mean these ‘boat anchors’ on my data center floor are worth something?” Well, they are to us. At ReluTech we offer cash for your used assets or take your used equipment back when performing a refresh through us. The money saved and the money earned can be used to hire the IT talent that so many companies desperately need right now.
Addressing these challenges
It’s clear that IT practitioners have a lot to consider when it comes to the technology they maintain for their company in 2022. Whether that be cybersecurity threats targeting enterprises across the globe, budgetary restrictions making critical hardware upkeep near impossible, or the disorganization of having too many SLAs facilitated by unrelated entities, the average IT director has more to think about than when they first started their career.
ReluTech can remedy these concerns by providing flexible maintenance agreements, invaluable insight into your company’s critical infrastructure with RAMP, and world-class hardware support and procurement. To learn more about ReluTech’s services, check out our case studies that showcase our customer’s real IT challenges and how ReluTech helped them increase efficiency and save time and money.
