Planning for technology costs helps businesses prepare for new employees and future growth.
Shouldn’t expanding a team be something to celebrate?
Hiring new employees usually means your business is growing. But bringing someone new on board can also come with unexpected costs, delays, and frustrations.
And technology is one area that's easy to overlook.
New employees may need computers, software licenses, secure accounts, and IT support before they can even get started. When you don't plan for those expenses, what should be an exciting step forward can quickly become another headache.
Hiring is just one part of technology planning. Your IT provider should also help forecast other technology costs before they become unexpected expenses.
By planning for these five IT costs ahead of time, you can welcome new employees with fewer surprises and focus on what matters most: growing your business.
Computers and equipment
This is the most obvious cost for many businesses, but it can also be surprisingly expensive. Depending on the role a new hire fills, you may need to buy a new desktop, laptop, headset, mobile device, or workstation.
Some industries will also have higher computer cost needs than others. For example, certain manufacturing, architecture or engineering programs need powerful graphics processors. Running them on less-capable hardware sets employees up to fail.
Establishing a standard equipment package for a role’s needs before you hire will smooth over these budgeting and onboarding concerns.
Software and licenses
Recurring software costs are one of the most reliable budget items on a spreadsheet. You know what tools your employees use and renew them as long as they’re valuable. This line item is so reliable, however, that it's easy to forget how many little pieces make up that monthly expense.
$20 per month here and $30 per year there can add up when bringing a new hire into your processes and tools. Building an itemized list of every recurring software expense a new employee would need protects you from being blindsided by a jump in expenses from one month to the next.
Accounts, access and security
Physical and electronic security are costs, but unlike the ones above, getting them wrong could have more serious consequences than frustration or lost productivity. Build the following procedures now. They keep onboarding safe and efficient, and they preserve the zero-trust principles your security should already follow:
- Accounts: Create secure logins for password managers, cloud servers, and more, with password resets upon login.
- Access: Configure keycards, fobs, or other physical access technologies so employees can access the office without relying on borrowed or inconsistent temporary credentials.
- Security: Prepare cybersecurity training materials so new employees follow best practices as soon as they are onboarded.
Giving new employees the right access from the start also helps prevent unnecessary security risks, especially when accounts and permissions aren't reviewed regularly.
IT setup and support
If you’re partnered with a full-time IT service provider or have internal IT staff, the labor costs of setting up all of the above may not be clearly defined in a budget, but they are a cost. Any use of time, even time already paid for through contracted support time or regular salary, is a cost.
When you’re hiring and onboarding multiple employees in a short period, the time and labor costs of this setup can pull resources from existing projects or require additional spending on hourly or contracted support.
You can’t just budget for the parts.
Budgeting for the support that keeps processes running prevents operations from stalling on days when new hires join the team.
Technology growth over time
One employee won’t require an overhaul of your network, cabling, or storage plan. Ten employees, though? That could become an issue.
The problem is that most businesses aren’t hiring 10+ people in the same week. Even rapid growth is incremental and can creep up on your operations. Knowing ahead of time how many employees will require additional servers or a reworking of IT support needs keeps you from adding too much personnel weight to processes that can’t support it.
Just as you can’t cram 30 employees into a 10-desk office, knowing when your headcount requires tech changes lets you plan upgrades long before a new employee joins.
Growth is also a good time to review outdated technology and workarounds that may have been manageable with a smaller team but no longer make sense.
Plan for Growth Before Your Next Hire
Hiring new employees should move your business forward, not create unexpected technology expenses.
Planning ahead means knowing what equipment, software, security, and IT support your new employees will need before their first day. It also means making sure your technology can support your business as your team grows.
At Ferrari Networks, we help businesses throughout Buffalo and Western New York prepare for these costs, avoid unnecessary surprises, and make smarter technology decisions.
Whether you're hiring one person or expanding an entire department, we're here to help you plan for what's next.
Planning to grow your team?
Schedule a 10-minute discovery call, and let's make sure your technology is ready to grow with you.
