Price and cost are not the same thing. I address these two similar-but-different perceptions in business often. “Price” can be a seller’s decision about the value of his product or service, or it can be what the buyer chooses to pay for a product or service. “Cost” can be the amount in resources needed to create a product or perform a service, or it can be an outcome of having purchased a product or service. There are emotional connotations attached to both words.

As grownups, we deal with price and cost probably every day in ways both small and large. We consider both when buying a car. We weigh price v. cost when sending kids to college. Will the sacrifices (cost) needed be worth the price of a better school for my child’s future? Are we having filet tonight or chili from the crock pot? We manage our money both practically and emotionally. Who hasn’t received that package from Amazon followed by a palm to the forehead and a “what was I thinking?”
When discussing IT matters with clients, my rule of thumb for decision making is this: “How will it improve your situation, and will you truly use it?”  If new software or new equipment will change how you do business, then it is worth getting the best available. Or, if you can plan how to ramp up your productivity, and through that timetable see how to afford new resources, then that will also work. You will be at ease about the related prices and costs because you chose how and when to implement them.

It’s not a bad thing to say there just aren’t any slow business days anymore. Because of the constant evolution of our now-necessary electronic devices, the speed of business is escalating. If software is outdated, then computers can be slow. If cyber defense strategies don’t include today’s threat, data is at risk and your network could go down. These days, even being down a few hours can impact a whole quarter’s revenue. An IT management company’s responsibility is to keep a business productive and to keep it secure. It is also their job to keep all their own networks clean and safe while they are monitoring yours.
As you maneuver your way through this first quarter of a new calendar year, I hope you are keeping an ear to the ground about technology breakthroughs and cyber threats. You don’t have to understand everything about them, but you do need to know someone in the IT business that you can trust to answer your questions and to have your back in your business and in your industry.