Datalyst Blog

Does your business really still use that old fax machine? Chances are, it’s just taking up space and costing your business valuable time, money, and resources that would be better spent elsewhere. Let’s look at how a fax machine can actively hold your business back, both in terms of operations and budget.

The more you’ve invested in anything, the more critical it feels for you to get a return on that investment. So, what happens if you keep pouring money into these efforts in the hope that it will eventually work out in your favor?

These kinds of skewed choices come about thanks to the sunk cost fallacy—the tendency human beings have to be swayed toward illogical decisions based on what we’ve already spent. 

Let’s discuss how to avoid this in your business by working through the logic, free of the emotional context that the sunk cost fallacy introduces.

Surprises can be exciting, but one part of your business where you don’t want them is in your IT. A server crash, a wireless connectivity outage, or a security threat can all create multiple surprise problems that you simply aren’t ready to handle—particularly in the realm of your wallet. Instead of spinning the wheel and gambling on your IT bill, you can instead treat your IT like a predictable utility cost, and it’s all thanks to proactive managed IT services.

Do you have your finger on the pulse of your business’ subscriptions? Not many business owners do, and it can negatively impact operations and budget lines. This tech sprawl can get out of control, which is why your business needs a plan to combat it. Thankfully, we’re here to help you get your subscriptions under control… both the known and the unknown.

You notice it, don't you? The random freezes, the slow-loading files, the constant reboots. You likely write it off as a minor annoyance… but what if it’s not minor? These small moments are death by a thousand cuts—a hidden “productivity tax” that is silently bleeding your business dry. This isn't just an inconvenience; it's a budget line item you're paying every single day, and it can easily add up to the cost of another employee.

Let's expose it.

In business, it’s tempting to think, if it's not broken, don't fix it. This is especially true for technology. Your computers turn on, emails go out, and things seem to work… so why bother with constant maintenance?

What if I told you this safe approach is actually draining your profits? It’s a hidden expense, and understanding it can completely change how you see your IT.

The way many businesses handle their IT budgets is fundamentally broken. With global IT spending projected to hit $5.61 trillion in 2025, its importance is undeniable. Yet, too often, IT is treated as a mere "cost center"—a necessary evil whose budget needs constant trimming. This isn't just outdated accounting; it's a strategic blunder that stifles innovation, increases risk, and holds your business back.

It's time to shift perspective. Your IT budget isn't just an expense; it's a powerful investment that can drive growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage. The problem isn't just how much you spend, but how you spend it.

Here’s how to fix your approach:

Nothing is more frustrating than when technology should work, but doesn’t for any number of reasons. Of course, it’s also expensive when your technology doesn’t work, which means you’re incurring costs during this downtime period. Today, we want to address the consequences of downtime and what you can do about it to minimize its impact on your business.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen some very significant price increases for computing hardware. Back in 2011, major floods in Thailand caused a hard drive shortage and caused prices to shoot upwards. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, work-from-home peripherals like webcams, headsets, and docking stations were sometimes hard to get and sold at a premium. When the crypto world started buying entire data centers of Nvidia GPUs, the cost of high-end PCs and gaming PCs started to skyrocket.

2025 in particular is going to be an interesting year when it comes to the cost of typical office hardware, and experts are urging that business owners get ahead of the game to avoid exceeding their projected budget.

I’m about to state the obvious here, but when it comes to running a small business, anything that costs money is probably going to feel like an expense.

That’s obviously the definition of expense, but hear me out, we’re talking about feelings. Particularly, we’re talking about that gut feeling that business owners get when they have to sign a check.

Occasionally, the money you spend will feel more like an investment; when you feel like this is going to help move the business forward. 

For many small business owners, IT is often seen as just another expense—something that’s necessary but not necessarily a driver of growth or profit.

But what if we told you that investing in managed IT services isn’t just about keeping the lights on—it’s about making your business more efficient, secure, and profitable?

So, what’s the real return on investment (ROI) of managed IT services? Let’s break it down.

The clock is ticking for Windows 10. Its end-of-life date is October 14th, 2025, and that will be here sooner than you think.

This means it's time to plan your migration. You need to upgrade any Windows 10 machine within your organization to Windows 11 before support ends.

One of the most asked questions we get is “How can you help us save money?” It’s the priority for anyone looking to outsource anything. So, naturally it has to be one of the first questions answered. In today’s blog, we’ll go through three ways that our brand of managed IT services functions to save our clients money.

Does your technology need an upgrade? Now might be the perfect time to get on it, especially since hardware prices are expected to rise dramatically this year. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits you can expect from working with us when outfitting your business with new technology.

As a provider of information technology services and support, a big part of our job is helping the businesses we work with make the best decisions regarding their critical IT. This responsibility means we often provide an advisory role to business leaders.

In that role, we strongly advise that you make any intended technology purchases and upgrades right now… because if you wait, you may have no good options left.

Planning your IT budget for 2025 is a crucial task. It requires strategic foresight and a keen understanding of technological trends.

This guide aims to help you navigate this process. It will provide insights into key areas such as software costs, hardware expenses, and cybersecurity.

We'll also delve into the implications of Windows' End-Of-Life (EOL) and the importance of regular upgrades.

By the end, you'll be equipped with actionable strategies for effective IT budget planning in 2025. Let's get started.

Funerals are never to be taken lightly, which makes it all the worse that there are people out there willing to use these events to scam those in grief. Recently, Facebook has seen many groups that supposedly offer links to streamed funerals in exchange for credit card data, with different events being added more recently.

Unexpected downtime can wreak havoc on businesses large and small, which is especially bad when so many paths lead to it. Let’s explore some of downtime’s causes, and equally importantly, how it can be avoided.

It’s easy to look at IT services (and most technology investments) as an expense. We’re not going to argue against that. Even in our own business, we know we need to pay a lot of money for hardware, software licenses, subscriptions, and internal labor, employee training, certifications, and a whole lot more just to keep things running smoothly for ourselves and our clients.

It also might seem a little funny that an IT services provider is talking about how IT services can help your business be more profitable. At first glance, that might feel sort of like a bakery telling you that donuts are the key to losing weight. 

But I have your attention so far, and it’s likely because you understand that modern technology is inherently designed to make you and your staff more effective and productive. It’s not designed to simply be an expense, and if you implement it properly and measure it, much of the time technology can be shown to help organizations do more in less time.

This article explores 13 ways these services can help small businesses save or make more money. 

If your business is looking to cut costs, one area to focus on is printing. While paper documents have traditionally played a significant role in business operations, they can consume a lot of office space and are challenging to manage efficiently. Let’s explore how you can reduce your printing expenses and streamline your document management processes.

A successful business thrives on building beneficial relationships, which generates a lot of data and contracts that need to be efficiently shared and stored. While this might seem straightforward, leveraging today’s technology can significantly cut down on filing costs and enhance file-sharing efficiency. Let’s explore how.