Tech Savvy Procurement in a Fast Changing World

If your IT department is under pressure to do more with less money, look for solutions that offer the best cost benefit. A bit of out of the box thinking turns up a number of creative solutions for servers, storage and networking.

Planning for future requirements is always challenging given the fast rate of change in IT. Setting up a website or carrying out system migration is daunting, especially given the current skills gap and reducing size of IT departments. Factoring in the disruptive influence of technologies like the Internet of Things, AI and machine learning makes the job next to impossible. No one knows exactly what the future holds. But we do know that it is going to have a massive effect on the way we use and store data.

Keeping flexible

The 2017 Harvard Business Review said less than half of the organisations it surveyed had a fully formed digital strategy. It also said part of this was by design. If you don’t know what’s coming, your best plan is to stay flexible and keep creative.

Alternative solutions

On the software side, virtualisation is one way of maximising physical resources. Dividing up data centre storage into smaller sections, firewalled from each other and managed via PC, brings down costs and increases resilience. You can also consider cloud storage, which replaces capital outlay with a monthly rental fee.  However, there are limitations: most companies agree business-critical data is better maintained in-house. For more information on these, check out Eight Ways to Save on Data Centre Costs.

When buying hardware look for ways to educate yourself on which equipment best fits requirements. Research suggests more and more organisations are taking a “lift the lid” approach to hardware procurement. Moving away from off-the-shelf solutions means considering a range of options, including white label and refurbished equipment.

White label goods – manufactured by one company and rebranded under the seller’s name – are more prevalent than you might expect. Even big names use component parts manufactured by a third party. Third party options save up to 90% on the branded alternative.

Refurbished servers, storage and networking equipment saves up to 80% on RRP. Just like with cars, each model loses value significantly as soon the latest version leaves the factory. Even if it still runs like a dream. Tech giant Google has come out to say that using refurbished parts and servers in its data centres is saving the company hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

Designing data centre systems along these lines allows IT departments a greater range of solutions. Upgrades are cheaper, which means the business retains an element of flexibility in the face of coming change.

As a leading company in the buying, refurbishment and selling of data centre storage and networking equipment, Techbuyer can testify to more and more organisations taking this approach. Customers range from large to small, across all sectors.

Knowing where to look

Manufacturers stock older parts for a limited period. However, the release rate of new products means manufacturers cannot hold older products indefinitely. Stock levels and support for 3 or 4 generations behind will be winding down when a new generation is released. And then there’s the production line price tag.

A large refurbished market has grown up to buy and sell these products as well as offer further reductions by restoring older components to factory settings. IT departments often prefer this because of the value proposition. Companies like Techbuyer a three-year warranty as standard, and a lifetime guarantee on request.  Organisations with large stock levels maximise on choice.

Resellers and online portals like Amazon stock white labelled alternatives. Search terms “networking transceivers”, “compatible server memory” and “lifetime warranty” are good places to start. When researching products, the key requirement is compatibility with the existing infrastructure.  This will ensure that the overall solution is technically viable, does not conflict with infrastructure Service Level Agreements, warranties and ongoing support. The best white label options offer extended warranty periods which are over and above the main brand offerings on the parts themselves.