Think back to the end of 2021 when you were planning for 2022. You couldn’t have planned for what the year has resulted in, let alone adjust. There have been projects put on the back burner, new problems to be tended to, and your environment has completely changed.
The company’s new office had to be put on pause, the pandemic lingered, talk of an economic crash presented itself, and other than moving your workspace to your home, your team was cut.
According to John-David Lovelock, VP Analyst at Gartner, "inflation has cut into consumer purchasing power in almost every country worldwide. Consumer purchasing power has been reduced to the point that many consumers are now deferring 2022 device purchases until 2023, driving spending on devices down 8.4% in 2022 and 0.6% in 2023.”
This 8.4% can be detrimental as IT budgets have been on the downturn with the direction of operations going to the cloud. With this shift, Gartner advises minimizing investments while prioritizing operations that keep businesses running. By prioritizing operations, this often is pushing to a new mindset for the industry as a whole.
At PivIT Global, we support this new mindset by helping you find new ways to win in your company that ultimately boost your bottom line in your IT departments.
What does this ‘new mindset’ entail? The first thing the last two years have taught us is that we can challenge planning for the unplanned. What we’ll dive into below is that when companies plan for the unplanned, it is more than just a retainer in your budget or line item on the account.
There is a strategy to build when controlling the unplanned. Here is a hint: It doesn’t have to be expensive! We’ll also address gaps and holes you may have faced or seen on the horizon and share a useful tool to develop a strategy.
Expecting (And Planning For) The Unexpected
During 2020, some companies lost up to half of their budgets! Along with those budget cuts, teams have faced cuts to their headcount. This decrease in size comes as the cloud becomes more prominent and new technologies, such as hyper-converged infrastructure, begin to play a major role.
Today, we are being forced to strategize in a new way with different tools and ultimately have a plan for the seemingly unplannable. The goal is not to be caught off guard, especially when the emergencies we saw in 2020 are on the far ends of the range of happen-stances; be it an optic change or a pandemic shift.
Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (USD Million)
| Category | 2021 Spending | 2022 Spending | 2023 Spending |
| Data Center Systems | 189,506 (6.1%) | 209,190 (10.4%) | 216,262 (3.4%) |
| Enterprise Software | 732,030 (14.8% |
790,385 (8.0%) |
879,625 (11.3%) |
| Devices | 807,580 (15.8%) | 739,982 (-8.4%) | 735,394 (-0.6%) |
| IT Services | 1,207,966 (12.8%) | 1,258,150 (4.2%) | 1,357,914 (7.9%) |
| Communications Services | 1,459,483 (3.8) | 1,435,401 (-1.7%) | 1,469,220 (2.4%) |
| Overall IT | 4,396,565 (10.2%) |
4,433,108 (0.8%) |
4,658,416 (5.1%) |
In the table above, notice the drop in IT spending between 2021 and 2022 for devices and communications services. Looking into 2023, the projected spending is likely to start recovering slightly.
When you look at the expense of unplanned circumstances, they tend to be high. A last-minute problem and an immediate fix are often astronomical in cost and scope, especially when mission-critical.
It doesn’t have to be that way! With the right service, you can solve more problems than the one at hand. There tend to be more gaps and holes when a problem arises, and the good news is that it is possible to fill each gap and repair each hole with the right field service team.
For example, your team may not be onsite to fix a problem in your data center. They could even be a day’s trip from the data center or even the office, given the new reality of work-from-home. Field Services is your go-to when addressing a problem as such.
Filling the Gaps
Enough wallowing in what 2022 has been. Let’s focus on how you’ve filled gaps thus far and plan to through the end of 2023!
When PivIT created EXTEND, it was built to fill gaps and plug holes, but 2020, 2021, and 2022 showed us just how large these gaps and holes could be for a company. EXTEND exists to be an extension of your existing IT teams and allows your team to leverage the global reach you need.
A perfect example is SmartHands by EXTEND, giving you a team of engineers who come alongside your management to complete any project from asset management to data destruction, configurations to wireless site surveys, and more.
As mentioned above, there is a lot more than just the problem or project at hand. We also realize you are the brain behind each project, so our SmartHands engineers are there to act as an extension of your established IT team.
Above & Beyond Traditional IT Professional Services
In the Pre-Staging and Configuration stages, we have a team of in-house engineers ready to get your gear configured for your network needs.
Expertise level ranges from a Level 1 engineer who can set up the equipment as it needs configurations (i.e., plugging the servers into the VPN) to a Level 3 engineer whom you can consult with to any degree of engineering or architecture questions you may have.
When this new gear arrives onsite, we understand you may not be able to be there. An engineer can be sent to help install, remove, or help in any capacity.
ITAD and Asset Management
Staying within compliance is an absolute necessity in today’s world. Not only must you properly dispose of equipment after decommissioning the gear, but information and data are precious.
We will guarantee that secure hardware processing is complete and to your satisfaction. When decommissioning assets, EXTEND will provide a certificate of destruction if necessary or will work with you to clear sensitive data, and if the hardware is eligible, offer a credit towards your new piece of equipment through our Buyback Program.
The 5 Certainties to Jump Start 2023
We’ve all lived through 2022, but the results and effects are very different for each company...needless to say, we’re all bracing for what 2023 has to offer. Our EXTEND team is excited to share the research behind companies that have seen positive outcomes through EXTEND Field Services.
If your team or budget has been reduced at any capacity, you have plans, whether big or small, for 2023, or you’re looking to fill some gaps created due to the current economic climate, this webinar is for you! Click here to access the recording!
Set Yourself Up for Success
With a shrinking budget along with cloud strategy and remote management, we understand your staffing footprint is shrinking, even before the 2020 pandemic set in.
Lean on EXTEND to bring the capabilities to your data center. Whether you need to consolidate data centers, install all infrastructure for a new office, or any project on the docket, your strategy should include EXTEND Field Services.
