Delegating certain tasks and responsibilities to third-party vendors like an IT managed service provider to handle the IT needs for your company is relatively normal for a business owner, right? The use of applications to help streamline operations and keep company information secure is also considered relatively normal. So why is this “normal” process suddenly costing you so much money?

Paying multiple vendors to handle IT-related items for your business is not a wise investment. The use of various applications that operate similarly to ensure job functions are performed securely is not the wisest use of company time. Let’s face it: You need to consolidate your third-party resources to run your business efficiently. But how can you reduce vendors and reduce applications without adding to your workload or putting the security of your company at risk?

How to Reduce Vendors

The art of reducing brings about efficiency and doesn’t have to mean less for your business. You can have multiple vendors offering the same things, but what one vendor is the best at handling IT for your business? Find the gaps and assess what losses your company would face if a vendor is unable to close them. To reduce vendors, it’s your job as a business owner to first determine their core competencies in IT by asking the following questions:

1. What can you do for my business? What can’t you do?
2. What are your biggest strengths? What are your biggest challenges?
3. Do you offer short-term or long-term contracts?
4. Do you partner with other vendors to provide certain IT services? What are those services?
5. Are there additional fees to offset the costs of your partnerships with other vendors?
6. In what ways can you help consolidate the IT needs of my business and reduce the added expense of multiple vendors?
7. What methods or applications do you use to assess and manage risk?
8. Do you supplement your services with the use of multiple applications? Why or why not?

By answering these questions, it should become clear where vendors are overlapping and which could be let go. 

How to Reduce Applications

Another place to look for unnecessary redundancies is with applications, especially involving security. Protecting company data is important. There are various platforms and applications available to increase cyber security for your business and help prevent data breaches. Your company doesn’t need to use a bajillion of these applications to successfully protect your information. Here are ways to reduce applications and maintain security for your business:

Cut down on file sharing. The more servers you use to store and share company information, the more opportunities a cyber criminal has to steal company information. There is no need to take advantage of all the multiple file sharing servers available (Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneHub, etc.) simply because they exist.

You run the risk of exposure to malware, ransomware and cyber attack when sharing information across multiple servers. Using a single file sharing platform that makes the most sense to your business is highly recommended.

Limit remote access. Like reducing file sharing, you should limit the number of applications your company uses to offer remote access. Not all remote access applications offer the same level of security. Provide a single remote access application that uses multi-factor authentication methods to secure and protect your data.

Stick to applications that require authorization. Not every member of your staff should be authorized to access certain corporate files. Applications that limit or restrict access help prevent information from falling into the wrong hands or onto the wrong devices.

Need Help To Reduce Vendors? 

Don’t waste corporate dollars paying multiple vendors to do the same things. Contact Internos Group to help you consolidate your Miami-area organization or small business with our comprehensive, customized IT management services.