From Budget Constraints to IT Opportunities — How Automated Procurement Can Help

The world is changing fast. That means organizations need to meet their technological needs in an efficient manner to achieve their business goals.

By Melany Clayton, Global IT Director, Insight Enterprises

The original version of this article appears in Insight’s Tech Journal, helping IT executives, business leaders and owners understand the latest developments in the modern workplace. From innovative applications, smarter data management and artificial intelligence, to modernizing the cloud, edge and security infrastructure needed to run them, it’s our guide to help you gain new insights about your business. Read more at insight.com/techjournal.

If there’s one silver lining to challenges both past and present, it’s that we’ve all become experts at adapting. Still, businesses across industries are facing issues, ranging from ongoing supply chain challenges to inflation of the last two years.

Implementing the right technology delivers many helpful outcomes during uncertain times, including overall business resiliency gained through an improved client experience, revenue growth, cost optimization, risk mitigation and operational performance. Organizations must continue to drive the business forward through key investments — particularly when it comes to supporting digital transformation with innovative tools like advanced analytics or eliminating technical debt by replacing legacy technology and clunky manual processes.

Today, nearly two-thirds of executives (64%) believe their business needs to be digital but isn’t there yet, according to our 2023 Insight Intelligent Technology™ Report, an IDC InfoBrief and survey. The pressure is on, as 61% also say they need to see an impactful return on their digital investments by 2024. Every dollar spent on technology matters, especially in the current climate.

But this poses an important question: How can companies get the right IT tools most efficiently? One way to do so is by changing the ways in which they buy. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

Ensuring Affordable Technology Access

There’s an exciting opportunity for many organizations to implement automation into their IT procurement. With the right procurement tools and systems in place, organizations can more easily scale technology investments so they can get what they need when they need it.

This is important because digital transformation investments should be conducted with discipline. Driving efficiency in the buying processes by shifting manual, repeatable and scalable processes online can be an easy way to free up capacity and control costs while continuing to access the technology companies need to strengthen their business.

Adopting a technology procurement process that mirrors a standard ecommerce experience — one that streamlines a company’s access not only to new hardware and software but more complex innovation solutions — can help teams focus more on running and improving the business while keeping costs low and easily visible.

Achieving Efficiencies Through Automated IT Procurement

Automated procurement systems can look like catalogs, pre-defined for their end users, that include robust product details and information. These systems benefit a company’s procurement through reconciling and reporting capabilities, which can integrate with their existing tools to help simplify post-purchase management.

Additionally, modern procurement systems can support the ability to ship devices to a home or office. This helps with adding new teammates at scale or replacing devices when they stop working during critical times. Employees can use a pre-approved catalog that also supports approvals instead of going out on their own to purchase new devices. And with virtual self-service, organizations also can minimize or even eliminate maverick spending — the unapproved purchase of goods or services outside the scope of their defined spending policy.

Likewise, automation introduces new opportunities to flex device use and IT services to actual company needs at any given time. All too often, business priorities and head counts change, yet procurement processes are too rigid or slow to keep up. Reacting more in real time by incorporating predictive analytics into the equation is a great way to lean into future requirements before they belabor the budget.

Lastly, alongside cost controls around what types of devices staff can purchase, companies also are able to maintain a strong security system by requiring devices that support pre-defined, modern security capabilities. This would make the safeguarding of proprietary data significantly easier, reducing the risk of a breach posed by the use of errant, unapproved technology.

At the end of the day, businesses can’t afford to wait around for devices to arrive, software licensing agreements to change, or make laborious decisions when it comes to technology investments. Simple, automated systems that provide teams with streamlined access not only help you move quickly but take advantage of situations that position organizations for future growth — without wasted time or wasted investments in the wrong technology.

Melany Clayton is director of global IT business operations and chief of staff to the CIO at Insight, a Fortune 500 Solutions Integrator driving client success through digital transformation. With more than 17 years of IT experience, Melany is responsible for Insight’s global automation, innovation, and quality assurance teams. She also manages the company’s global IT budget, change management and SDLC policies.