IT-related downtime is very costly for all businesses. A survey of 1,700 tech professionals found that, on average, businesses experience 77 hours of downtime each year because of serious disruptions. During these hours, costs can be as high as $1.9 million per hour.¹
Cyberattacks, workflow inefficiencies, logistical issues, and system failures are just some of the many IT problems that can cause serious downtime for all kinds of companies. What makes these issues more difficult is that a good solution that works for one business may not fit another—there is no one big solution in IT.
This is where custom IT consultants come in. These specialists don’t just offer generic solutions that may have worked in the past. Instead, they spend time knowing what you really need and offer the best possible way to solve your problem.
What Custom IT Consulting Looks Like
Not all consulting solutions can be considered customized. Many offer one-size-fits-all approaches to IT needs, from application development to systems integration. How do you know if a consultant truly tailors the program for you? Here are a few important signs to look for:
In-Depth Understanding
Before starting the project, a custom IT consultant will take the time to learn about your business, including its goals, challenges, and specific needs. They won’t immediately offer solutions that have worked in the past because they know that each company is different.
Unique Solutions
Their solutions come from actual data that they received from you. Often, custom consultants offer something new that they haven’t done before. They want to provide solutions specifically designed to meet your business’s unique needs.
Training Initiatives
Custom consultants want businesses to be equipped with the IT solutions they will provide. They help train your team in the new system you will use, whether operating automated tools or navigating cloud software.
Continuous Support
Custom IT consultants don’t just finish the project and leave. As long as it’s needed, they stay involved to provide ongoing support and guidance, especially when their work involves crucial tech issues like cybersecurity or crashes.
How Custom IT Consulting Cuts Costs
IT consulting is important for all kinds of industries, from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and retail. Although IT solutions differ from one business to another, here are common ways that customized IT consulting can help your company cut major costs:
1. Proactive Monitoring for Early Detection
Proactive system monitoring helps businesses find problems before they get worse. Generic IT consulting uses basic tools that work for many companies, but it may miss issues specific to a business. For example, a generic solution might overlook problems caused by incorrect data or improper software usage.
Meanwhile, custom IT consulting creates monitoring tools that align perfectly with a company’s most important systems. By being more efficient in detecting problems, businesses can save money in the long run.
For example, an e-commerce company depends on a customer database. A generic solution might only cover big issues, like complete system slowdowns. However, a custom IT solution watches the database closely, tracking information like storage capacity, data usage, and performance in real-time. This way, the consultant can address the issue before it causes any noticeable slowdowns.
2. Tailored Plans for Recovering from Disaster
Businesses need good consultation services to help them recover from IT-related disasters, like server crashes, hardware failures, or network outages. Avoiding massive losses from these situations will take more than a generic solution. For instance, a basic approach might only involve restoring data from backups once a week. If a server crashes, restoring it could take hours, causing extended downtime.
On the other hand, a custom solution can focus on crucial data based on your company’s needs, such as customer orders, sales transactions, and shipping information. If the server fails, the IT consultant can quickly restore this data, allowing the business to continue with minimal disruption and sustain productivity.
3. Optimized IT Infrastructure for Scalability
Scalability solutions like cloud computing help businesses save money by allowing them to increase their capacity without purchasing more resources. For instance, a manufacturing company uses machine sensors to track performance and production. As the company makes more products, the sensors create more data, which can slow down or crash the system.
As they seek a scaling solution, IT consultation may be necessary. While a standard solution can help with scaling, it may not be optimized for the company’s specific data types. Custom IT solutions will fit perfectly with your current systems as needed, so you won’t have any problems with scaling even in the future. This allows businesses to expand while reducing the chance of equipment failure and expensive downtime.
4. Stronger Cybersecurity to Prevent Attacks
When hackers steal data or cause system failures, businesses suffer from lost revenue, downtime, and a damaged reputation. To address cybersecurity issues, businesses must be prepared with strong security measures and a quick recovery plan. Consulting can help set up the right protections and implement recovery strategies.
Custom consulting will benefit you greatly if you want to prepare or recover efficiently. Generic solutions are often limited to basic tools like firewalls and antivirus software, which can protect against some threats but may not be enough for more serious attacks.
Custom IT consulting looks at a company’s specific needs. For example, if a business handles sensitive customer data, a consultant might set up stronger security measures like encryption or multi-factor authentication. To help with recovery, a company with a large network might need to divide its system into smaller sections to prevent bigger problems if something goes wrong.
5. Automation for Routine Tasks
Automation can be a game-changer for business costs by taking care of routine tasks. But when it’s not set up correctly, it can still cause problems. For example, a company might consider off-the-shelf accounting software that automates invoicing, but it doesn’t match the company’s unique pricing structure or custom payment terms. To avoid these issues, businesses need automation that fits their specific needs instead of off-the-shelf solutions.
Custom IT consulting can offer custom software development services to automate processes specific to your company. For example, a business with a complex pricing structure might work with a consultant to create a customized invoicing automation system. This requires careful planning instead of simply recommending a generic invoicing tool.
6. Executive-Level Expertise at Affordable Rates
Hiring an executive like a CIO or CTO can be too expensive for many businesses, but they still need expert guidance to make smart IT decisions. Without this expertise, businesses might make costly mistakes or miss important opportunities.
Custom IT consulting gives businesses access to expert advice without the high cost of a full-time executive—and consultants work like they’re part of the team. They do their best to really know the details of the company so they can make the best recommendations and solutions. Whether the job involves streamlining cloud operations or improving cybersecurity, IT consulting is best when it’s tailored to a specific company.
How C4 Technical Services Helped a Health Insurance Company Save $6.9 Million in Cloud Costs
A healthcare insurance company struggled to manage cloud costs effectively during its migration.² They needed a clear way to allocate expenses and improve financial accountability. They partnered with C4 Technical Services to implement a FinOps strategy that transferred most cloud spending to application teams, ensuring better ownership and transparency. Using real-time analytics and financial playbooks, they saved $1.5 million in the first year of implementation. By year three, they had reduced costs by $6.9 million.
Get top-notch custom IT consulting from C4 Technical Services!
At C4 Technical Services, we provide custom IT solutions that boost efficiency, cut costs, and drive innovation. With over 100 years of experience, our expert team tailors strategies to meet your unique needs, from cloud optimization to cybersecurity, ensuring the maximum potential for your business.
Contact us today to discuss your specific needs—we’ll match them with tailored solutions that will not disappoint.
References:
- “New Relic Study Reveals IT Outages Cost Businesses up to $1.9 M per Hour.” New Relic, 2024, newrelic.com/press-release/20241022.
- “A FinOps Case Study: How C4 Technical Services Helped a HealthCare Insurance Company Realize $6.9M in Savings.” C4 Technical Services, 30 Nov. 2024, c4techservices.com/a-finops-case-study-how-c4-technical-services-helped-a-healthcare-insurance-company-realize-6-9m-in-savings/.
