Saving strategies for 2012

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Guest post from @Cindy_Bates, Vice President of Microsoft’s US SMB Organisation

With all the hubbub surrounding the holidays, the end of the year can feel excessive in every sense, which is why so many New Year’s resolutions are about cutting back, getting in shape, starting over again, etc. On that note, I’d like to take a look at a few key areas in which SMBs can save in 2012, as I’m guessing I’m not the only one trying to get back to the principle “less is more” now that the holidays are behind us!

  • Time – In 2012, help your employees save time by coaching them on good time management habits. The Microsoft Office blogs regularly offer great tips and tricks on how to efficiently use programs like Outlook, Office and PowerPoint so that they don’t become time drains, but rather time-savers. Be a good example yourself by starting and ending meetings on time and sharing with employees any best practices you’ve learned along the way about time management. And you can also find free on-demand, online training on the Office.com website.
  • Money – Cloud computing solutions (like Microsoft Office 365) can become easy avenues to cost-savings, especially if your business’s technology needs frequently fluctuate. The subscription-based payment model cloud-based software provides allows SMBs to pay only for the software they need, when they need it. If you have seasonal employees or varying data storage needs throughout the year, for instance, the scalability of cloud-based services becomes a real advantage, helping you eliminate unnecessary technology spending.
  • Space – If you ‘re trying to determine if you’ve outgrown your office space and need to invest in larger dwellings, first evaluate if there are ways you could be saving space. For example, consolidating physical server hardware through virtualisation can help an SMB significantly reduce server sprawl and gain back valuable square footage. Additionally, implementing a remote working strategy might also help you save on space, as some remote employees might not even require an office desk. Or, if you have a handful of employees who work remotely as well as in the office, have them share physical workspaces, rotating the days that they work in the office.