A means to a financial end

Year end is a busy time for resellers – many businesses find themselves with remaining budget that needs to be spent before the new financial year begins, or risk the budget reductions that can follow.

After all, if such a big IT budget was not needed this year, it will not be needed next year either.

Most IT directors will resist this budget cut and this in turn provides a great opportunity for resellers to encourage customers to fix the ‘plumbing’ around their offices.

Major system upgrades can leave businesses wanting: for example, bulk purchases of PCs can result in a front office stacked with the cheapest bundled monitors, keyboards, mice and so on, making a poor impression on visitors and making staff less efficient, productive or comfortable.

The small kit may seem unimportant, but these subtle changes can make the world of difference between winning a prospect over or retaining a valued employee.

Some VARs will have customers that have invested heavily in laptops for their growing number of remote workers this year. While laptops are extremely convenient for working on the move, they are not generally built for in-office comfort.

Most organisations understand that it is essential to provide full-sized keyboards and external mice for workers, whether they are working in the office or at home. For end-users who do not take their laptops on the road, there may be a need for a laptop stand or a TFT display to ensure comfortable viewing angle for prolonged use.

This year, the launch of Vista will begin to drive changes for some organisations. While sales of the operating system may not yet be setting the world on fire, businesses and consumers have started preparations by buying the hardware designed to optimise the Vista experience. After all, there is no point paying for a Porsche if it handles like a Ford Fiesta.

The end of year spending run represents a key opportunity for resellers. Customers may have budget that they need to spend and will appreciate the advice. Smaller ticket items are often an easier decision to make and much more visible within an organisation.

After all, everyone has to interact with their mouse, keyboard and monitor, but only a few people will have anything to do with the new version of Oracle or the Cisco routers supplied to their company.