Slashdot Mirror
Establishing an IT Budget for a Small Business?
tirthas asks: "I am the Information Manager of a small (20 person) architecture firm and have recently been asked by my employer to prepare a technology spending budget. While I have a good handle on what I would like to spend vs. what I must spend, I am having some difficulty establishing a justifiable budgeting method. I have seen examples of 'per employee' methods and 'percentage of revenue' methods, but the dollars and percentages vary widely. What methods do you use to establish your departmental/company-wide budgets, what are your monetary amounts or percentages, and what successes or failures did you have in establishing your budgets?"
Whatever you do, don't forget to budget for ample supplies of chicken blood and other black magic staples. You know you will need it when the boss asks for those apps and hardware that magically do things that aren't possible in the natural realm.
Don't forget the "Oh God, that damn thing just died." section.