Flexible solutions help business thrive
In a tight economy, it can be difficult to justify capital outlays on new technology, yet the ever-expanding roster of services that technology delivers is often crucial to business success. Thankfully, there are creative, cost-effective solutions to technological concerns that can allow you to remain competitive and invest back in your business.
When you look for a solution to fit your business needs, it is essential to identify one that is affordable and fits your current and evolving technical needs. These are ongoing concerns, but they are especially important in today's economic environment. Flexibility is crucial, because business needs and demands are constantly changing. You also need scalability, so your technology grows affordably, and at precisely the pace you need it.
To keep up with the rate of technology advancements and avoid debilitating and even risky capital outlays, there are some notable options that exist. To meet your business's critical technology needs affordably, one approach to consider is leasing. Another alternative to explore is managed hosting. In fact, depending on a business's unique needs, each of these options merits consideration regardless of the economic circumstances of the day.
Breakthrough lease can be your Shield
First, let's look at leasing. Traditional leasing provides IT professionals with a variety of options, such as buying the equipment at the end of the term or returning it. In addition, leasing can provide payment options that can be important management tools in trying economic times. Avoiding a large capital expense might give you financial flexibility, which in turn can help you carefully manage your credit lines and cash flow. However, it is also important to keep in mind that technology depreciates rapidly, and a traditional lease can leave you locked into your equipment after it no longer meets your business and technical needs.
A more powerful leasing solution to give businesses the flexibility they require has been lacking . . . until now, with the introduction of the ground-breaking Allstream Shield leasing program. The program allows you to future-proof your technology investment, while keeping the benefits associated with a traditional lease. Topping Shield's impressive list of appealing options is the exceptional flexibility it provides. Unlike other arrangements in the marketplace, if your technology needs change, with Shield you can move to a new system without financial penalty, rollover balance or hidden costs. This makes Shield a one-of-a-kind financing option that supports your present and future needs.
The opportunity to meet the demands of your business when your original technology investment no longer fits the bill translates into the kind of safety net and flexibility that is so urgently needed in today's economic climate. Another significant benefit is that Shield's monthly payments are considered an operating expense and are fully tax deductible.
Managed hosting lets you maximize your strengths
In an environment where the provision of mission critical applications is an important part of any business, one solution that delivers that essential availability is managed hosting. Consider the costs to a business if its core applications go down. While one possible route to address the reliability concern may be hiring and training IT staff, this, however, involves additional costs at a time when resources are scarce. Managed hosting helps you address both issues. Managed hosting ensures that your mission critical applications are always on, while your staff can play to their strengths rather than managing your IT infrastructure. Working with a partner that provides hosting services can also provide flexibility and scalability to enable your business to continue to thrive and grow.
With Allstream Managed Hosting, businesses can gain a wide range of benefits, beginning with higher levels of performance at lower overall costs. Managed hosting also gives you predictable monthly rates for basic IT functions, helping you to take "surprises" out of your IT budget planning process. Other benefits include full security and regulatory compliance management, continuous access to enterprise data and systems, and avoidance of costs connected with system failures and capital outlays. It also means your IT staff can focus on strategic initiatives, enabling them to leverage their access to leading edge technology and expertise from a national hosting provider. With Allstream, solutions such as Managed Hosting are implemented according to the client's needs and wishes, so you can determine the level of control you want.
To be sure, these are not easy times economically, and it can be frustrating to be responsible for finding the resources needed to continue to strengthen and grow a business. Reassuringly, Allstream's non-traditional leasing and hosting solutions are flexible and effective options worth exploring, and these are tools that can help position your business to be even stronger in the future.
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