[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/smart-installations-tight-budget\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/smart-installations-tight-budget\/","headline":"Smart Installations for a tight IT budget","name":"Smart Installations for a tight IT budget","description":"When it comes to the purchase of data network, communications and other IT infrastructure, it\u2019s often tempting to buy cheap, quick-fix solutions to meet the immediate needs with as little pressure on the company coffers as possible. But that buck saved now could come at greater expense down the line, cautions BT-SA, South Africa\u2019s leading...","datePublished":"2017-10-24","dateModified":"2017-10-31","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/author\/admin_bt-sa\/#Person","name":"Admin_BT-SA","url":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/author\/admin_bt-sa\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/99b147eb2e6ec01f77d732be9c7f20c5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/99b147eb2e6ec01f77d732be9c7f20c5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"BT-SA","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BTSA_Logo_FINAL.png","url":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BTSA_Logo_FINAL.png","width":800,"height":250}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Tight-Budget-2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Tight-Budget-2.jpg","height":800,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/smart-installations-tight-budget\/","about":["IN THE NEWS"],"wordCount":853,"keywords":["gartner","infrastructure","installations","IT budget"],"articleBody":"When it comes to the purchase of data network, communications and other IT infrastructure, it\u2019s often tempting to buy cheap, quick-fix solutions to meet the immediate needs with as little pressure on the company coffers as possible. But that buck saved now could come at greater expense down the line, cautions BT-SA, South Africa\u2019s leading ICT infrastructure solutions partner.According to Erik Jordaan, Director of BT-SA, when it comes to infrastructure and operations (I&O), a properly and strategically designed solution will save companies exponentially more money in the long term than this week\u2019s discounted deal. He recommends companies opt for an infrastructure that is scalable to accommodate future growth and which is flexible enough to adapt with changing technology.\u201cCompanies grow, and sometimes even shrink, as their fortunes change, and a well designed system should accommodate the incorporation or removal of components without needing to be completely redesigned,\u201d said Jordaan.It\u2019s the same with technology. Despite shrinking ICT budgets, technology continues to develop rapidly, often necessitating an unplanned and unbudgeted revamp of infrastructure, hardware and\/or software. That\u2019s where the smart companies that opted for solutions based on their adaptability, win over those who took the short-term view and settled for cheap solutions that meet only their immediate needs.Network Cable \u2013 A Case in PointNetwork cabling illustrates this point well. Presently, it\u2019s cheaper to run CAT 5e network data cables rather than pay extra for Cat 6 UTP.\u201cOne might even argue that if the network devices you\u2019re installing don\u2019t require Cat 6 features, why spend more? But, this is one of those crucial decisions where taking the long view and investing in the faster, more adaptable, but more expensive product, will work in your favour in the long term,\u201d says BT-SA\u2019s Stephan van Aswegen, Senior Manager: Data & Cabling. \u201cNever opt for cheaper, unknown network cabling brands, even if the cable does offer the same speed as branded cables. The higher price for the established brand sold by BT-SA, comes with the promise of product support and a 25-year warranty.\u201dIn addition, he offers this smart infrastructure tip, \u201cIf you\u2019re running new or replacing old cable in your existing network, and don\u2019t have the budget to re-cable the entire network, you should install Cat 6 UTP with a different colour, like Blue Cat 6 UTP along with a new Cat 6 patch panel. In this manner, you can install all new data points with Cat 6 blue cable and when the time comes, and budget permits, you can remove all the old grey cable and replace it with the Blue Cat 6 UTP.\u201dAlternative Power Solutions \u2013 Support Saves Money\u201cIf more than a decade of load shedding and unreliable access to electricity has taught us anything, then it\u2019s that if your business has any mission-critical power needs, you\u2019d better have a smart, alternative power solution in place to meet those needs,\u201d cautions Andre Viljoen, BT-SA Electrical Manager.Alternative power solutions that span solar installations, UPS devices and generators can represent a pretty significant investment for customers and not all the costs are evident in the upfront sticker price. Viljoen cautions buyers to pay attention to the service level agreements (SLAs) offered with the installation.\u201cIn this particular industry, saving a few Rands upfront can cost you a packet later. These are sophisticated products and complex installations that require expert support; support that will cost you more down the line if you don\u2019t get a good, solid SLA upfront,\u201d he explains.More Smart Installation TipsWhen it comes to I&O, it\u2019s better to start smart than to get smart later, but thankfully it\u2019s never too late to start somewhere. According to Gartner, the world\u2019s leading research and advisory company, six ways to lower your IT I&O costs include:Opt for software-defined and integrated infrastructures \u2013 this increases flexibility, shrinks the physical footprint of your installation and all the associated device and maintenance costs.Invest in server modernisation \u2013 replacing aging servers with those that can support higher levels of workload consolidation (think virtual machines) is more economical.Network negotiations \u2013 audit your current use of bandwidth and telecoms services and renegotiate your telecom services contracts often, to keep costs lean and manageable.Assess client device management \u2013 take stock and see if your client computing model is consuming too much of your I&O budget. An evaluation might reveal more cost effective options like embracing BYOD or moving to desktop virtualisation on thin client systems \u2013 dependent on your organisation and computing requirements.Consider the cloud \u2013 using cloud resources like SaaS (software as a service), PaaS (platform as a service) and even IaaS (infrastructure as a service) can have the most profound effect on reducing I&O costs.\u201cBT-SA always advises our clients to invest in a well-planned and smartly designed infrastructure to get the most flexibility, adaptability, scalability and value from it. It\u2019s an investment whose returns are not always measurable in Rands and cents, but which makes a genuine difference when it really matters,\u201d concludes Jordaan."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Smart Installations for a tight IT budget","item":"https:\/\/www.bt-sa.co.za\/smart-installations-tight-budget\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]