Ensure your IT spending goes further!

This article is part of our Opinions section, where we invite industry professionals to share their views on the most pressing technology questions of our time.

Don’t worry, this column isn’t about politics or tariffs. But it is about something that affects every business: making the most out of your IT budget. Especially over the last five years, we’ve all seen how crucial it is to be cost aware while ensuring every £/$ spent delivers real value.

From global health crises to procurement issues, from rising energy costs to ongoing cybersecurity threats (breathe!), we have been through a lot. To top it off, fluctuating trade tariffs and economic uncertainty mean businesses need to think smarter than ever. Still, the future is bright. Through resilience and innovation, businesses continue to adapt and thrive.

Today, I want to focus on how smart IT spending, especially on the commercial side, can help your business do more with less.

Using vendor programs to your advantage

IT spending has evolved. We’re moving from traditional hardware purchases to the more commonly seen subscriptions, licenses, and “as-a-service” offerings. But corporate IT buying isn’t like personal tech shopping.

Here’s an example: my family recently switched from Apple Music to Spotify. Shocking, I know! But with a 3-month free trial (and nappies to buy), the choice seemed obvious for gaining the same outcome. Topping it off, both offer family plans, providing more value for less so that I can share the subscription with the whole family. It was perfect to swap.

So, what does this have to do with enterprise IT? Everything.

Many businesses miss out on cost-saving vendor programs because they don’t know they exist! While looking for subscriptions of IT services for home use online is generally a quick web search away, it’s not always the same in our business IT environments. Likewise, vendors don’t always make them obvious. Take Cisco or Microsoft. Both offer Enterprise Agreements (EAs) that provide significant discounts, flexible scaling, and more value over time.

A simple change in approach can help both the IT teams and procurement teams understand this more. It’s not a case that they need to research or know every solution or buying option from a vendor, but changing their questions can help. Like asking the IT partners about available buying programs instead of just requesting their best final price, can help unlock serious savings.

Planning for the unknown

The future is always uncertain. But your IT strategy can be designed to handle surprises.

Unexpected cost spikes like urgent remote work setups in 2020 can derail budgets. One way to prepare is by adopting FinOps practices (which is financial operations for IT, that is a whole topic on its own, but is worth being aware of). Even if you’re not ready for a full FinOps model, you can start small:

• Regularly audit subscriptions, licenses, and usage.
• Identify underused resources.
• Turn off systems when not needed (like access points after hours).

For example, many businesses subscribe to Microsoft E3 or E5 licenses for all users — but often, only a subset needs full features. Rightsizing licenses to fit actual usage can lead to immediate savings. Likewise, ensuring constant reviews of this and across all software subscriptions. You may find overlap, for instance likewise in security tooling or product features across multiple vendors’ licenses, which can enable better consolidation of tooling and reduced costs.

Similarly, during the peak energy crisis, when unexpected bills arose almost overnight, some organisations reduced energy costs by improving efficiency — like powering down unused hardware overnight. Small steps like these protect your budget and free up funds for innovation.

Understanding the true business value

Here’s my favourite part and why I love my work. Linking IT investments to real business outcomes.

Sometimes savings are clear, such as switching to better buying models, as mentioned earlier, to reduce costs. However, typically, your IT investments are about enabling change, such as improving customer experience, streamlining operations, or protecting the business brand.

Each department might see a return on investment differently. But when you zoom out and connect project goals across departments, the real hidden value often emerges.

Consider this as a simple situation: You’re rolling out secure remote working connectivity to support hybrid work. To ensure the same user experience regardless of whether you’re working in the office, from home, the coffee shop, or anywhere in the globe to the key business apps. The project, in turn, can provide:

• Enhance security
• Improving user experience
• Reduces WAN costs
• Avoiding data centre firewall refreshes
• Consolidation IT tools
• Boosts employee retention
• Improved digital experience monitoring for the IT support teams

That’s a lot of value from one initiative. By ensuring procurement alignment and reviewing full cost models, you might even structure it to have minimal upfront cost while reducing ongoing expenses.

Understanding the full business impact and not just the IT or security angle enables better decisions and bigger returns, which can be fully recognised against the whole business cost model.

Final thoughts

Maximising IT spending isn’t just about saving money. It’s about aligning technology with business goals. Now more than ever, IT, procurement, and finance teams must work closely to ensure success.

To achieve success with this, a trusted partner is key. Not just someone who is transactional, but one who understands your business and helps you make smarter decisions. So, here’s the question: Is your IT partner helping you do more, or are they just focused on selling you more?

P.S. In case you were wondering, I now prefer Apple Music. Apple Music UI grew on me over time… and their free trial may have won me over (for now).