Whether your business deals with Europe or not, the economic uncertainty is leading many businesses to assess their spending and look for ways to save money.

IT spend as a percentage of turnover has gradually risen over the last decade, mimicking the increasing importance and scope of the function. This doesn’t make it immune from cuts, in fact, it makes them much more likely.

Here are five things you should do to help reduce your IT expenditure.

1) Audit your IT

The first thing to do is to understand what you are spending your money on. An IT audit can help you understand what your organisation has in terms of equipment and software you are using.

You can streamline your IT infrastructure and ensure that every device is being used to its full potential.

Software has a tendency to be paid for, but often not used. An audit will help you identify what is needed, and what can be cut – potentially saving you a large amount.

Shadow IT - the implementation of IT systems or software that isn’t officially sanctioned - is a big issue. An audit can help identify this practice, and stamp it out – improving security too.

2) Move your storage to the cloud

Physically owning and managing your data storage is a costly IT practice. Servers are expensive and can drain power at a frightening rate.

A move to the cloud for storage can help you drastically reduce costs. It can also offer greater performance, 24/7 access and solid security.

It’s not free, and you will need to pay a price to the provider, however in the medium to long-term you will save significant amounts in server purchase, maintenance and power costs.

3) Software-as-a-service

Organisations regularly waste money on unused software, but you don’t need to. Microsoft now makes its ubiquitous Office productivity suite available on-demand, and they’re not the only ones.

Managing your IT through on-demand services (known as software as a service) can help you save money on IT software.

When you’re not using a license you can just cancel it immediately. You don’t need to buy large numbers of licenses, or provide all employees with all programmes.

4) Consider BYOD

Hardware spending is increasing in IT as users demand greater flexibility offered by smartphones and tablets. Providing a huge range of devices is costly, so why not allow your users to use their own devices?

They own and pay for them, and arguably will be more careful when using them. Allowing users to access business networks and systems may seem unsafe, but using cloud based storage systems can help you to create a networked infrastructure that’s secure and effective.

5) Invest in a print solutions

While not strictly an IT overhead, our love of paper and printing can cost your business a huge amount every year.

A flexible print solution can help you take control of print spend. It’s more than just ensuring a ready supply of ink, it’s about creating a print system that helps the organisation to save money while saving the plant.