May Bits-N-Bytes

Desktop Valet will take care of your computers so that you can take care of Business!

Call us now to schedule a technician visit at 877-699-9997 or in the Las Vegas Metro Area at 702-553-3200.

Five Money Saving I.T. Tips
By Leo Bletnitsky

Finding ways to do more with less is a constant theme in business. I.T. Departments are often charged with increasing service levels and capabilities while budgets are being held firm or even cut. Even though technology is most often looked upon as a cost center as opposed to a profit center, it is critical for all businesses to harness technology to do more, faster while increasing customer satisfaction.

How can small and medium sized companies save I.T. dollars without sacrificing performance?

1. Utilize what you have to the fullest by keeping your computers Spyware and Virus Free and your hard drives Defragmented

Most computers we encounter have numerous issues that make them run like computers from the previous generation. They have viruses and/or spyware and many need to have their hard drives defragmented. These issues can have a tremendous impact on the performance of your company's PC's, and multiplied over the number of staff effected can cost you real dollars.

Each virus or spyware is a small program that utilizes your computer's memory and processor, not to mention the fact that many of these programs are written to steal your data. Computers often will have dozens if not hundreds of these programs running in the background and sapping your resources. Fragmented hard drives also slow your access to files on your computers. These issues if resolved could potentially turn what you thought was a dinosaur into a lean mean computing machine!

2. Add additional memory to your computers to get more life out of them

Often companies deploy computers without enough memory (RAM) for the type and number of applications their staff needs to run. They often feel the need to purchase newer and faster systems every year or two just to stay productive. The magic bullet is having enough RAM. If you are running Windows XP Pro then 512MB of RAM is a good amount, but if you want to have three or four spreadsheets, your e-mail and a couple of Internet Browser windows open at the same time then the minimum doubles to 1GB. We recommend doubling these numbers for Vista!

3. When it makes business sense, use open source or non main stream software

If your staff does not have to create many documents that are shared with customers of other companies, you can choose to utilize free or discounted open source versions of Office Suites, you can save $200-$400 per employee if they don't have to have Microsoft Office.
Also, commonly companies need to create PDF documents, and often purchase Adobe Acrobat for $279. In many cases they can accomplish the same task utilizing free programs like Primo PDF or less expensive programs like Nitro PDF $79. These programs look a bit different and don't have all the features of Acrobat, but if you don't need those specific features, you can realize a substantial savings.

4. Use an Offsite Data Backup service instead of spending $1000's on tape solution

The more data you have the more expensive the backup solution costs. The most common backup solution is Tape. Not only do tape solutions require a substantial capital investment, but they often fail when you need them due to mechanical or more likely human error. Offsite solutions are less expensive and provide reliable insurance against data loss. Depending upon how much data you have, it may cost as little as $1 per Gigabyte per month.

5. Seriously consider Server Virtualization

Server Virtualization is a fairly new technology that allows you to have multiple servers and applications running on the same physical hardware. It allows for better utilization of memory and processor resources. Instead of purchasing low cost and low reliability servers that are a bare minimum to run each required application, we recommend that you buy one or more higher quality, faster and more reliable servers. Utilize Server Virtualization to run the required applications faster, more reliably and more efficiently!

Leo Bletnitsky has been in the IT Consulting and Management business for over 12 years and is CEO of Desktop Valet and LBA Networking, Inc.
Leo can be reached at Leob@DesktopValet.com or 702-553-3200 x101.