Discussion on:

10 good ways to use your remaining IT budget before the end of the year

These are excellent suggestions, but things like this are frowned upon at my corporation. In our competitive banking environment, if we have money left over, we don't look for ways to spend it - we leave it under budget and contribute to the corporation's overall health.

Imagine if each cost center had just $1000 left at the end of each year, and left it alone, instead of spending it on Velcro - millions saved.

Some of the suggestions are cost-savings oriented, but perhaps these initiatives should be enacted upon using the real budget instead of the leftovers? Just some food for thought.

Again, great article! A hot topic.

Saving in the corporate budget is great, but in the educational world it seems to be the opposite -- at least where I'm at. I don't know how it is where you are, but I have learned that in our school system we try to spend every penny in our budget. If we don't, then we get that much less the next year -- we didn't have that much to start with. Needless to say, if you want to be a good example to your children about being a good steward of money, the school system would not be the one to look to... Very sad.

Guys, you're right, both of you. Just because your organizations lives different lives, one for-profit, one non-profit. Makes it sence?

This list can't be the end all for all organizations. Yeah sometimes year end use-up won't fly in come companies. Some organizations handle it differently.

But regardless, there are scenarios where these are applicable - and more things you can do.

Replace multiple monitors / keyboards / mice with stack of expensive KVM switches

There's money left over for toys and other crap, but never enough to give hard working IT pros their well deserved bonuses for giving up many nights and weekends to get projects delivered on time. Companies want loyalty from their employees? How's about showing some loyalty and appreciation back by throwing some cash our way?

Custom support plans or "Managed" contracts can leverage a huge investment in 'big iron' to help offset and reduce software cost and license/maintence fees.

Many OEM's have seperate slaes, support and service groups for software and hardware. Demand a joint meetig, review cost, discount levels and combine line items. If no takers contact the firms Services or Consulting firms, ask for a full or parttime contractor to manage all licenses, contracts and equipment leases, EOL or renewals. pay the cost out of the saving in the many mixed contracts and discount rates.

Demand lower cost, buy support in advance for 3-4 years at a fixed rate...

Save Many Hundred of thousands!

EG
HP.com

This is a good article about 3 years ago.