IT Budgets and the New Economy Part 2

            In my last post, I talked about focusing on security and cost saving as a way to improve the chances of getting your budget approved. Network management tools can be a good investment for both security and cost saving to an already overworked IT department. The number and quality of network management tools that are available today is stunning. Many of them are free but some of the more sophisticated tools can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. In knowledgeable hands, the information they garner can be priceless.

            Use your firm’s security policy to make your case by citing specific mandates that could be more efficiently carried out with these tools. Do research and match the tools to your firms budget based on labor saving and diminished risk to the firms assets. Talk to the folks in accounting. They can be very helpful. After all, IT has been helpful keeping their workstations and databases running all year. What are your budget challenges and successes?