IT doesn’t have to be overwhelming—or overpriced.
Let’s be honest, tech spending can spiral quickly. One minute you’re onboarding a few new devices, the next you’re juggling multiple platforms, patchy support contracts and unhappy users.
But cutting costs doesn’t have to mean cutting corners. With a few practical shifts in managing, supporting and planning your IT, you can reduce spend and improve performance.
This article explores how to get more value from your tech without breaking the budget.
1. Think Beyond the Price Tag
The cheapest solution on paper often ends up being the most expensive over time. Why? The real cost of IT includes support, downtime, security, updates and user productivity – your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)—and it’s the number that really matters.
Quick win: Review your current setup and identify any tools or devices that cost more to maintain than they’re worth. These are prime candidates for replacement or consolidation.
2. Sweat Your Assets (The Smart Way)
Not every device needs replacing every three years. Procuring top-range devices can extend the life of your hardware to four or even five years—without compromising performance. This reduces your TCO and gives you more breathing room between refresh cycles.
3. Make the Most of Trade-In Options
Upgrading doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. Many devices hold residual value that can be traded in to offset the cost of new purchases. It’s a smart way to boost ROI and lower the price tag of your next refresh.
Quick win: Ask your partner about trade-in schemes. You might be surprised how much value could be derived from your existing estate or even old devices still sitting in your storage cupboard.
4. Explore Leasing and Financing
Why take a big hit up front when you can spread the cost over time? Leasing or financing gives you access to the latest tech without tying up cash. Even better—when the term ends, you can refresh and roll into the next generation of devices with minimal hassle.
Quick win: Consider 4-year leasing plans that include support and upgrades. Your team gets the newest kit, you maintain control of your budget and cash flow stays healthy.
5. Standardise to Simplify
The more platforms and devices your teams use, the more time (and money) your IT team spends keeping everything running. Standardising your hardware and software reduces complexity, speeds up support, and improves the user experience. However, due to the advancements of MDM, it’s far easier to manage cross-platform estates, so investing in this would save time and cost in the long run.
Quick win: Find a partner that can support you with managing cross platform estates – it could save hundreds of hours of time for your IT team and simplify your device management strategy.
6. Use Asset Management to Take Control
If you don’t know what you have, who’s using it, or when it’s due for refresh—you’re flying blind. Good asset management helps you track warranties, spot underused equipment and plan upgrades before things break.
Quick win: Use a centralised system to manage devices from deployment to retirement. It’ll save time, improve security and help with budgeting or source a partner that can manage this as part of your contract.
7. Master the Joiners, Movers, Leavers Challenge
When someone joins, changes role, or leaves—it creates a ripple effect on your IT team. Devices need setting up, reassigning, wiping, storing or redistributing. Multiply that across departments and locations and the workload adds up fast.
If you don’t have the time or the tools to manage this efficiently, it slows down onboarding, risks data loss and security of your network and eats into productivity.
Quick win: Outsourcing device lifecycle services (like provisioning, reallocation or secure disposal) can help you keep up with change without burning out your IT team.
8. Revisit Support and Maintenance
You might be paying for support that no one uses—or missing coverage where you actually need it. Flexible support options, including hybrid or outsourced models, can be more efficient and free up your internal IT team for higher-value work.
Quick win: Review all your support contracts. Are they still relevant? Are your SLAs being met? If not, it’s time to rethink.
The bottom line?
Cutting through device complexity isn’t about spending more—it’s about spending smarter. With the right plan in place, you can take control of your tech, your budget, your user experience and your business outcomes.
Contact us – Academia can help you get there.
Whether you’re reviewing your current setup, sweating your assets longer, or planning a smarter refresh strategy, we can help you spend smarter, scale easier, enhance your user experience and stay in control. Get in touch with our Technical Solutions team at info@academia.co.uk.
