As the economic landscape changes across the globe, many companies face unprecedented budget cuts. Finding ways to cut costs without losing productivity, particularly in a remote work environment, is becoming a top priority for technology managers and executives.
Though making cuts can be challenging, it gives managers the opportunity to reconsider the value of tools that no longer serve the company. To make the best possible choices for your team, it’s important to:
- Focus on eliminating redundant programs
- Choose tools with a variety of functions
- Train team members to use existing software effectively
The Real Cost of Redundant Programs
Technology managers are facing mounting pressure during these difficult times to consolidate software subscriptions to save money while supporting a growing remote workforce. By now, you likely realize that the programs your team uses to stay connected are more valuable than ever. Unfortunately, this doesn't change the fact that you must rethink spending habits to manage a shifting bottom line.
For many companies, it’s common practice to have a variety of programs with similar functions. This may be the result of experimenting with multiple programs at once during periods of growth or adopting new programs and keeping legacy software rather than spending time converting old projects into new formats. Though keeping legacy software might seem simpler than undertaking a large scale conversion of files, modernizing legacy software will enable you to maintain efficiency in your office and save money at the end of the year.
Modernizing legacy software might look like reevaluating the use of DevOps automation configuration software, such as Ansible, Chef, or Puppet. You might find that you’re using all three of these programs, which essentially do the same thing—automating configuration and deployment of software. Because each program operates slightly differently and has different release dates, perhaps you purchased all three to explore its functionality. Though upgrading software like this makes sense at the moment, choosing to onboard new programs without looking into the consolidation of old ones can lead to unnecessary long-term spending.
Beyond the actual cost of software subscriptions and maintenance, there are hidden costs of keeping old, redundant programs. It’s important to factor in annual costs for training employees to use the software. If you have redundant programs in operation, you’re likely spending money training employees on outdated tools. By reducing the number of programs in your arsenal, you can also cut training costs and focus on educating staff on programs that are the most useful.
Choosing the Right Tools
Perhaps the most difficult part of downsizing your software is choosing which to keep. Inevitably, some tools will be slightly more efficient for certain tasks, and less efficient for others. Even though it’s more convenient to use the most efficient program for each job, these small differences in productivity aren't worth the total cost of maintaining and training employees on multiple programs.
Choosing tools that boost productivity and work well for a wide variety of projects will lower overhead costs and keep your team happy. Fewer tools mean less training and less confusion. Though employees may struggle with these changes at first, eliminating redundant programs will ultimately reduce stress and training time, allowing everyone to focus on what's important—whether they’re at home or in the office.
Consolidating and choosing the right tools will also simplify training when onboarding new employees and enable departments to communicate efficiently without the strain of explaining unfamiliar processes for software that isn’t used frequently.
Investing in Your Team
The most vital part of any technology manager's job is training the team to use tools effectively, efficiently, and with confidence. When you alter tool usage, it’s important to invest in your team's knowledge base, whether you’re training them to use new tools or asking them to use old ones in new ways.
No matter how you look at it, tool consolidation can be challenging and time-consuming. Partnering with a company like Simplilearn, for instance, makes it easy to reskill your workforce and give people the confidence they need to adapt to a shifting work environment. To do so, it’s recommended you get up-to-date training on a wide variety of programs so you can help your team learn to use familiar programs in new ways.
Arming your employees with knowledge not only gives them the opportunity to work more efficiently—it also increases the value of the collective organization. By giving your team the skills needed to adapt to shifts in the way technology is used, you not only save money on costly tools, but you invest money into the long-term efficiency of your workforce.
The Long-term Value of Tool Consolidation
Though you’re likely looking into tool consolidation as the result of economic uncertainty, consolidating tools is about more than just saving money. Eliminating redundant programs enables you to:
- Decrease training costs
- Increase efficiency
- Reduce maintenance time across departments
- Enable greater communication and collaboration among team members
In the long-term, consolidating your tools is the smartest choice for savvy management. As long as the economy is in flux, consolidating tools the right way can make the difference between losing and preserving critical business functions.
Invest in Your Team with Corporate Training
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Simplilearn’s corporate training in emerging technologies is transforming our economy. Our Blended Learning approach drives high learner engagement and the industry’s highest completion rates.
It’s been proven that hands-on, interactive learning is five to seven times more effective than simply reading or watching course material? For this reason, we include the following in our corporate training curriculum:
- Live online classes
- Mentoring
- Labs
- Projects
- Self-paced videos
- And more
At Simplilearn, our implementation consultants will work with you to design the best training program for your company, help you choose tools with a variety of functions, and train team members to use software tools effectively. Unlock your team’s potential today!
