Strategic IT value: Beyond the rising costs

27 February 2025

Feb 27 2025

By Jenna Polson | Cyber Security, News | No Comments

Technology keeps your business connected, productive, and secure. But with costs on the rise, it’s easy to see it as just another expense. Look closer, and you’ll see these changes reflect a fast-evolving landscape that brings both challenges and opportunities. By understanding what’s behind the shift, you can make smarter decisions that maximise value and keep your business a step ahead.

1.    Keeping pace with cyber threats

Over recent years, the quantity, sophistication, and appearance of novel cyber security threats have accelerated. Standard cyber security solutions used to be as straightforward as installing anti-virus software on each device. Anti-virus scans for known threats at fixed intervals, blocking their access to your device before they can cause trouble.

In 2025, reactive, intermittent, and device-centric protection just doesn’t cut it. In fact, 2023 data showed traditional anti-virus software only detected 32% of cyberattacks. It takes investment in more sophisticated solutions to provide confidence that your business will be protected.

Today, responsible cyber security means adopting a complementary set of measures to target the range and evolution of threats present, including:

• • Endpoint Detection and Response solutions, to continuously monitor, detect, respond to, and learn from potential threats to each of your devices in real time.
  • Cloud Detection & Response is vital to protect identity threats for businesses operating from cloud-based environments, where data is more vulnerable compared to fixed infrastructure.
  • Human Risk Management solutions address the gap between your tech and your IT usage policy, building your teams’ confidence in identifying suspicious content with relevant and adaptive phishing simulations and cyber security training.

Higher security standards are also demanded in many B2B transactions, with cyber insurance and evidence of responsible security measures commonly requested.

The cost of poor protection

Yes, adequately protecting your business today costs more than it used to. But the alternative? In FY2023, Australian SMEs reported cybercrime costs of $49,000 – $62,000 per incident reported. The potential impact of data loss or corruption, customer relationships and reputation also shouldn’t be underestimated.

Chances are, falling behind on cyber security measures is just not worth the risk.

2.    Changes to licensing and service costs

Compared to other professional services businesses, IT managed service providers have an extensive tech stack. As well as running common business functions, IT businesses combine a wide range of software and hardware solutions to enable them to deliver their services to you with confidence.

Many of these are invisible to clients and partners. For example, in 2024 Bigfish invested in a transformation project to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our backend systems. Committed to levelling up our business to better support yours, we consider improvements like this necessary to continue deserving your trust as business partners.

Other aspects are visible to our partners, such as Microsoft licensing, to provide transparency and cost-reflectivity.

In November 2024, Microsoft announced a 5% price increase to core products, including the Microsoft 365 licenses that drive so many businesses. This will be effective from 1 April 2025, for all new and renewing annual-term subscriptions with a monthly payment cycle. Our partners can expect more information on how this relates to their individual circumstances in the coming weeks.

If this increase is hard for you to bear, consider whether you could move from monthly to annual billing, as you’ll be exempt from the price hike.

3.    Embracing new opportunities for business growth

Thankfully, criminals aren’t the only ones creating opportunity from new technology. Savvy businesses are investing in strategic solutions today to accelerate towards their goals – whether that’s growth, quality, sustainability or work-life balance.

Accessible options for service-based businesses include:

• • Communication and collaboration tools like Teams allow you to work seamlessly with a distributed team, accessing the best talent wherever they are.
  • No-code platforms are allowing businesses to create automated workflows in a fraction of the time, enabling team members to focus on the most impactful and fulfilling activities.
  • AI-powered assistants like Copilot are summarising your meeting notes, brainstorming your new product ideas and helping you draft that next report.

These solutions can offer a solid return in improved productivity, decision making, and employee and customer experience.

As your partners in business, we want to enable your business goals through strategic investments in the tech that will get you there. Get in touch to discuss how we can maximise value for you today.