Datalyst Blog

As the backbone of modern business, an effective technology department is less of a cost center and more of an essential investment. But what exactly makes up those line items in your IT budget?

Understanding the different categories of IT expenses is crucial for strategic planning, controlling costs, and demonstrating the true value of IT to the rest of the organization. Let's break down the major types of expenses that form a comprehensive IT budget.

One of the most valuable, and often squandered, resources in the modern workplace is time. In the course of our IT management role, we frequently observe bright, capable employees who are nonetheless trapped in cycles of inefficiency. It's not usually a lack of motivation; it's a lack of effective strategy.

Wasted time doesn't just hurt the bottom line; it causes stress, delays important projects, and prevents you from focusing on truly meaningful work.

It's the ultimate workplace paradox: the very tools designed to make our jobs easier, faster, and more flexible often feel like the source of our deepest stress. From the endless barrage of email notifications to the pressure of being always available, modern work technology is a true double-edged sword.

So, does technology create stress or remove stress in the workplace? The answer, like most things in the digital age, is both.

As someone who works with technology every day, I’ve seen the magic it can bring to a business. I’ve also seen the headaches and the hidden costs that can harm its efforts. If you own a business, you might think of IT as just the Wi-Fi or the guy who fixes the printer. I’m here to tell you that mindset will cost you dearly. I want to share four uncomfortable, non-technical truths that every practical business owner needs to accept about their technology.

With the holiday season just around the corner, you’ll be spending a lot of time on the Internet trying to find the perfect gifts for the loved ones in your life… but do you actually know how to find exactly what you’re looking for? Today, we want to give you a holiday gift in the form of a guide on how to make the most of Google’s search functionality.

Most of us have at least heard that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In other words, proactivity is pretty much always the better strategy. Despite this, we’ve observed that many businesses still avoid investing in their IT until something breaks—the exact opposite of proactivity—and wind up losing in terms of downtime, recovery time, and reputation, along with the financial implications these factors introduce.

This is precisely why we’ve designed our services to serve as preventative measures against the root causes of downtime, helping you be more proactive and reduce overall costs.

How much control do you really have over your IT assets? Oftentimes, businesses will consider other priorities, like sales, operations, and customer service, before they focus on IT systems and resources. The problem with this is that it creates a significant burden for your business, both in terms of the hidden financial drains and serious security vulnerabilities that undermine your business’ stability.

Building a gingerbread house is a perennial tradition in many, many households. Those with experience know that precise, careful preparation leads to a successful, long-lasting final product, while rushing and cutting corners usually leave you with a crumbling, fragile mess.

Much of the same can be said of your business’ data. This essential operational resource is terrifyingly susceptible to a litany of threats and issues that could easily bring your processes tumbling down… hence, why the 3-2-1 Backup Rule is a core element of successful business continuity.

Let’s take a moment to consider the recipe for a reliable, disaster-proof backup, and how it aligns with the process of making a gingerbread house.

Technology works wonders for business, but it also enables other organizations, like law enforcement. We aren’t here to argue ethics, but we would like to touch on some of the technology that certain agencies are using in the execution of their jobs. Specifically, we want to highlight the issues involving the very sophisticated AI and data-mining platforms, such as those developed by Palantir.

Many business owners, especially those running small or medium-sized enterprises and even startups, often wonder if their company is big enough to justify investing in managed IT services. The common misconception is that outsourced IT support is only for larger businesses with complex networks and hundreds of employees. The fact is that there is no minimum size a business must reach to significantly benefit from managed IT services.

Small and medium-sized businesses are continuously grappling with the complexities of their supply chain. If you're trying to compete with industry giants, the right technology is more accessible and affordable than ever. This month, we will go into some of the ways you can make your supply chain more efficient.

We all have too many accounts nowadays. Between our personal lives, work, and practically all the entertainment we consume, there are dozens to keep track of and manage… and then there are the ones that charge us for a service they offer. The stacking costs of these services are bad enough, but if you see them start to double or even triple in a given month, you may be experiencing a common problem that is simple enough to solve.

To do so, we need to clarify the difference between creating an account and logging in.

The way businesses protect their computer networks has changed. Now, every device connected to the network—like computers, phones, servers, and smart gadgets—is a crucial point of defense. This means that each device can be a weak spot if not properly secured.

If you don't use the same security rules for all devices, you're creating an easy target for cyberattacks.

It’s a symbol that we’ve all become familiar with in recent years: three horizontal lines, representing the menu of whatever application or website is currently in use. Sometimes appearing as three dots, this little icon can be surprisingly important for both the end user and the business using it… especially now that mobile devices are so commonly used for browsing (early this year, 64% of all website traffic was observed to come from these devices).

One of the core responsibilities of a manager is to get the best work done efficiently. It's not just about delegating; it's about strategic assignment. It is often the key to unlocking both peak employee performance and maximum return on the company's dollar. Poorly assigned tasks can lead to confusion, rework, burnout, and wasted time. This month, we thought we’d share our proven framework for assigning tasks that truly get the most out of your employees' time and the company's money.

Here's a horrifying thought: Imagine your beautiful office has 50 hardworking employees... but only one tiny, single-stall bathroom. It's chaos. There's a line down the hall, all day. Productivity grinds to a halt. It's a classic bottleneck, and it’s completely unnecessary.

Here's the hard truth: This is exactly what’s happening to your business’ data right now. You’re paying your ISP for a super-fast Internet connection, but you’re forcing all that crucial business data through a flimsy, $50 consumer-grade router; you’re going to find out it’s not up for the job.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a solution that has grown more popular over the past decade or so, primarily because more employees already own devices capable of running work-related applications. The employee gets to use a device they already know and love, while the employer saves money from the cost of equipping that employee. That said, the security risks associated with BYOD can undermine an ill-prepared implementation and open the door to potential legal action.

Have you ever considered investing in smart technology for your office? We’re talking, of course, about the smart appliances, lights, thermostats, and so on, all of which make your office feel like you stepped into a sci-fi movie. As IT experts, it would be wrong for us to let you implement all these shiny new solutions without considering the security implications.

Our question to you is this: are you willing to leave glaring security weaknesses in your infrastructure for the sake of being considered “high-tech?” We hope the answer is an emphatic “no.”

When an employee leaves your business, they go through (or they should, at least) a comprehensive offboarding process where you collect their keys, laptops, and other assets you gave them to do their jobs. You may have collected these physical keys, but certainly not their digital keys. You might still see them pop up in the instant messaging app, or you might find recent activity from their account in your shared drive, all of which is problematic.

If you’re not careful, ex-employees might still be using company resources for their own personal use, and this can create a serious security risk for your business—not to mention the legal ramifications should anything bad happen.

Cryptocurrency has brought about innovative new technology for use in the business world, but it’s also created more headaches, primarily due to ransomware. With ransomware, a malicious entity can lock down your computer files and demand a cryptocurrency ransom in exchange for your data’s safe return. So, why is cryptocurrency the chosen currency for these kinds of transactions?