BLOG | IT Costs to Plan for With Every New Hire
Growing your team should be a positive milestone.
For Tasmanian small businesses and not-for-profits, however, a new employee can put immediate pressure on a limited budget, a small administration team and already-busy managers. When technology costs are not planned early, equipment orders, system access and onboarding can be delayed just when the new team member is ready to contribute.
A practical technology plan helps local organizations welcome people smoothly and protect the resources they have worked hard to build. IT can be one of the largest upfront and ongoing costs attached to a new role, especially for organizations operating across Hobart, Launceston, regional towns or remote parts of Tasmania.
Planning for the following areas will make each hire easier to budget for and reduce avoidable disruption.
Computers and equipment
Start with the equipment the role genuinely needs. This may include a laptop or desktop, monitor, headset, mobile phone, docking station and ergonomic accessories. A staff member who works from home, travels between sites or supports communities across Tasmania may also need portable equipment and reliable remote access.
Avoid choosing the cheapest device without considering the work it must perform. Design, engineering, mapping, media and data-heavy roles may require more memory, storage or processing power, while frontline and outreach roles may need durable mobile devices and dependable connectivity.
Create a standard equipment package for each type of role, with an approved budget and a replacement cycle. This makes purchasing faster and helps a small organization avoid inconsistent or unsuitable technology.
Software and licenses
Software subscriptions can look modest individually but become a significant recurring expense. Email, productivity tools, accounting software, customer or donor management systems, cybersecurity, cloud storage and specialist applications may all attract per-user fees.
Before approving a new position, list every license the person will require and confirm whether pricing changes at certain user levels. Not-for-profits should also check whether discounted community-sector pricing is available. Review subscriptions regularly so former staff accounts, duplicated tools and unused licenses do not continue draining the budget.
Accounts, access and security
Small organizations are not too small to be targeted by cyber threats. New starters should receive only the access they need, and that access should be set up securely from day one. Build the following steps into every onboarding checklist:
· Accounts: Create individual accounts, require strong passwords and multifactor authentication, and avoid shared logins wherever possible.
· Access: Provide access according to the person’s role, including files, applications, buildings and shared resources, and record who approved it.
· Security: Include practical cybersecurity and privacy guidance in induction, covering phishing, data handling, remote work and how to report a concern.
IT setup and support
Even when a business or not-for-profit uses an external IT provider, setup time still has a cost. Devices need to be configured, accounts created, security controls applied, data access tested and staff shown how to use the systems available to them.
For a small team, these tasks can pull a manager or administrator away from core work. If several people start together, or if a new employee is based outside a major centre, allow extra time for freight, remote setup and troubleshooting.
Do not budget only for the equipment.
Include the labour required to prepare it, support the employees during their first weeks and resolve issues quickly. A clear process with a trusted local or remote IT provider can prevent a new starter from losing valuable time.
Technology growth over time
One new employee may not require a major infrastructure change, but steady growth can eventually affect internet capacity, cloud storage, backup requirements, cybersecurity tools and support arrangements.
This is particularly important for Tasmanian organizations with multiple sites, hybrid workers or regional services. Growth often happens gradually, so warning signs can be missed until systems become slow, unreliable or difficult to manage.
Set simple trigger points for reviewing your technology—for example, when headcount reaches a certain level, when a new location opens or when storage and support usage approach agreed limits. Planning these reviews early makes upgrades more predictable and easier to fund.
How to prepare
Include technology costs whenever a new role is discussed, not after the employment offer has been made. A short pre-hire checklist covering equipment, licenses, access, security, support and future capacity can identify the true cost of the role.
For small businesses and not-for-profits, the aim is not to buy more technology than necessary. It is to choose secure, reliable tools that suit the organization, the role and the way people work across Tasmania
ACTION Item(s)
Email us from our contact us page if you would like to know more.
We would strongly recommend you and your board starting the process to understand the SMB1001 framework.
Subscribe below for our weekly e-newsletter to help educate yourself or someone that you know is struggling in this area