Being in the 'least cost routing" business always had a sliver lining to the cloud of an economic downturn; it was easier to persuade people that a change to their existing telecoms services might just be needed right now. I few months back while quoting on reducing telecoms spend at a local corporate, I compiled a post which covered some practical tips for cutting costs.
While browsing through some articles on silicon.com I came across a similar article by Rob Bamforth of Quocirca an Business & IT research outfit I was unaware of until today, which has some sound advice. I'll summarise my take on the essence of his article, but it is worth a read.
- Cut back on fat, but not muscle or bone - assess the real business value of each cost category in your budget, before whipping out the scalpel.
- Make sure the muscle is toned - are SLA's delivering on business (as opposed to IT) priorities?
- Push for better deals, consider alternative suppliers, rethink the outsource question (yet again?).
- Converge - budgets as opposed to technology. One budget decision-maker on all IT spend can ensure there is less waste.
- Measure and take control. If you've not implemented dashboards of some sort to keep an eye on usage, you're going to be cursing yourself now!
Nice one Mr Bamforth, some good sense there (especially the bit about 'getting outside help', nudge, nudge, wink, wink! ;) ).
Dave.
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