Benefits of Cost Optimization in IT

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Cost optimization is a critical aspect of modern business operations. It involves identifying ways to reduce costs while maintaining or improving performance. The demand for cost optimization is so pressing in companies that there are full service online platforms available today focusing solely on securing cost optimization in all sectors of the enterprise. They can provide a wide range of benefits to companies looking to streamline their operations and cut costs.

In this article, we will explore the different types of savings and benefits that can be achieved through the use of a cost optimization platform, including process automation, risk mitigation, insights and visibility, and cost savings.

Automated Identification of Cost Savings

Of course, the most obvious benefit of a cost optimization platform is cost savings. It can automatically find for you refundable billing mistakes and resolve value leakage (such as finding old or inactive services that you’re still paying for). Plus, it can help you plan your products to optimal price points, saving you even more money.

Fig 1. Summary data visual of the various categories and sub-categories related to cost optimization.

Process Automation

Even though the shiny object for leadership is usually connected to savings, a benefit just as valuable to enterprises when investing on a cost optimization platform is process automation. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, companies can save a significant amount of time and resources. But that’s not all, a cost optimization platform goes beyond the manual effort and can analyze data in a much deeper level, this is done by using sophisticated algorithms and machine learning techniques, that allow it to identify cost savings opportunities and patterns that would have been impossible to uncover manually. This can lead to a much more efficient process and not only time savings, but also a reduction in the error rate from the current manual process. Additionally, process automation can lead to an improvement in overall KPI performance, and a more accurate view of the data.

Fig 2. The Thinking Machine platform creates workflow chains ‘out of the box’ for identifying all different types of cost optimization opportunities. Each step retains a detailed history of the data analysis performed, providing comfort the automation is working correctly. Workflows are customizable to fit in with how your organization operates.

Risk Mitigation

Another benefit of a cost optimization platform is risk mitigation. By improving the level of compliance of contracts and processes, companies can reduce their compliance risks. A cost optimization platform can do this by automatically classifying contracts, using sophisticated document extraction and machine learning. This can greatly reduce the manual effort required to check thousands of contracts, and help companies identify any potential compliance issues. This can also help in reducing the overall risk of over-paying suppliers, as the platform can analyze and detect any discrepancies in the billing process. This will provide a more accurate view of the data and help companies to keep track of the costs, avoiding over-payment and ensuring compliance.

Fig 3. The Thinking Machine platform auto-analyzes contracts to identify compliance issues such as contracts that have been signed without a rate schedule, making it harder for companies to audit and putting them at risk of budget blowouts.

Insights & Visibility

A cost optimization platform can also provide valuable insights and visibility into contracts and spending. This can include an improvement in the awareness of upcoming contract renewals, as well as an increase in the number of insights and KPIs related to spend and pricing components.

Fig 4. Identifying product price variances, where the same product in the same region with the same supplier is paying different rates.

Cost Avoidance

Last but not less important, a cost optimization platform can help companies in cost avoidance. By renegotiating contracts before auto-renewals trigger, re-negotiating contracts as soon as possible and negotiating improved contract pricing, companies can avoid unnecessary costs and maintain a competitive edge in the market.

Fig 5. An example of managing contracts to be coterminous. Ensuring they expire at the same time so to negotiate better discounts at renewal.

From everything we have seen here, it’s very clear that a cost optimization platform can provide a ton of benefits for companies looking to save money and improve performance. The return for the investment is invaluable in various fronts. It can automate processes, reduce risks, provide insights and visibility, save you money, and help you avoid unnecessary costs.

And who wouldn’t want that for their business?

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