TEM Trends Your Company Should Expect in 2017

As we approach the end of 2016, companies are starting to budget and plan for 2017. When creating your budget, don’t forget to account for your telecom costs. Expected 2017 TEM trends (telecom expense management) show us that telecom costs are anticipated to increase. Though this is not in company’s favor, it’s good to be aware of. The industry of telecom continues to grow and there are TEM trends to be mindful of as we approach the new year.

Increased telecom costs are not the only changes that we will be seeing around the corner. Trends you can expect to see in telecom environments include new ways to incorporate telecom costs into your IT budget, the increase in mobility, the effect seen by the retirement of Baby Boomers, and security trends that have accumulated.

How to Incorporate Telecom into your IT Budget

In your budget, you should be including hardware, software, services and subscriptions, capital, projects, and rainy day buffers. Most of your telecom expenses will be incorporated into your hardware budget. Computers and other devices are types of hardware that need to be accounted for. While creating a budget that includes your telecom costs, you should also be thinking of ways to reduce those expenses. When you meet with a Telecom Expense Management team they can tell you where most your telecom expenses are coming from and how you can reduce them by up to 40%.

Mobility is Outpacing Wireline

Mobility is increasing and will be among other notable TEM trends in 2017. The wireline work is beginning to die as individuals find more benefit in only using mobile devices. This will change the dynamic of your telecom environment and how you should be managing it. With mobile devices come different options for how you split minutes and data amongst your employees. Having the knowledge to properly manage your mobile devices is important if you do not want to be overspending.

The Baby Boomer Retirement Affect

According to the article “Do 10,000 baby boomers retire every day?”, published by the Washington Post, on average there are 10,000 baby boomers who are retiring every day. This being the case, the ways these individuals are using devices are changing as well. Individuals aged 60 and up are spending less time at a desk in front of a computer screen, and more time on cell phones and tablets. With the increased retirements, companies should keep an eye on the devices that were used in the office and where any work-related information is going. Increased telecom security can eliminate this problem.

Security Concerns

As you may already know, with the increased amounts of retirements and new employees hired comes new security concerns. As far as TEM trends go, the conversation surrounding security and disaster recovery has been among the most talked about in 2016.  What’ll happen to the confidential information on employee’s devices when they retire? Having a security plan that will avoid any trade secrets from walking out the door is essential. It will depend if you are implementing a “bring your own device” system or if employees devices are “corporate owned personally enabled”.

Telecom expense management companies are experts when it comes to the trends that will be approaching in 2017. If you have questions, or you want some or all of your telecom inventory and expenses to be managed by experts, don’t hesitate to call. Telecom expense management is designed to help companies save time and money on your IT telecom expenses. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to examine your environment and gain visibility to improve your bottom line and streamline operations.


About the Author: Brittany Peckham