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🤝 The Sharing Economy: Optimizing IT and Reducing Waste

For those skeptical about outsourcing, renting, or paid subscriptions, consider the sharing economy—a system that successfully deploys underutilized assets in new and profitable ways (like catching an Uber on a Friday night).

Reducing waste is a key component of optimizing business budgets. Many organizations find they have invested thousands of dollars in potentially unnecessary equipment and services.

This raises a crucial question for New Zealand businesses: Could understanding the benefits of the sharing economy help optimize IT planning and reduce unnecessary investment?

🔄 Applying the Sharing Economy Model to Business IT

Defining the Sharing Economy

The sharing economy is a system that allows for underutilized assets to be deployed in lucrative new ways. Entrepreneur magazine identifies three key aspects of this model:

• Recirculation of Goods: Selling or trading items, often through online portals (like TradeMe in NZ).
• Utilization of Underused Assets: Repurposing neglected items as an income stream (e.g., Uber).
• Exchange of Services: Sharing productive assets through rental of equipment or short-term employment agreements.

The core benefit of the sharing economy is the ability to realize more choice while mitigating the costs associated with ownership. For businesses with strict IT budgets, this model offers more affordable ways to access necessary equipment.

The Sharing Economy in IT

The majority of New Zealand businesses are already participating in the sharing economy through their use of technology, even if they don’t explicitly define it as such.

• Access Over Ownership: “As a Service” IT solutions—such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS)—are all part of this system, prioritizing access over outright ownership.
• The Cost of Ownership: As the IT space has become more diversified, ownership has become more challenging. The time, effort, and expense necessary to effectively utilize owned equipment and services are significant, and issues with those assets often fall entirely to the owner to resolve.

This is where the sharing economy provides a solution. For example, considering IT as a Service, a business can opt for Apple Mac rental instead of outright purchase. This approach reduces capital expenditure, spreads the cost of IT solutions, and still grants access to the latest innovations and features.

Whether you need advice on IT solutions as a service or you’re interested in computer rentals including Mac and iPad, speak to the team at Imagetext. The sharing economy is here to stay, so why not capitalize on it today and experience the convenience and cost benefits?