The economy

Unfortunately, no business or profession is immune from the economic turmoil that is going on in the world right now. No one seems to be investing or hiring for the future. IT is usually looked at as a quick place to make cuts that really don't contribute to the bottom line directly, but these decisions are short-sighted. The productivity gains of a good, solid network that is not prone to viruses, outages, or other issues gives the workers who contribute to the bottom line the ability to do more with less. Investing in your IT infrastructure may seem pointless in bad times economically but imagine the cost if your critical applications are down and no one can access the financial systems.

Of course, throwing money blindly at problems is not the solution. Do your homework and show the metrics and return on investment that spending the money will bring your company. Gather the data and show performance statistics that are easy to understand and explain. If you don't have the expertise, consider outsourcing or contracting someone with the skills to come in and take a look at your environment that will provide an independent and non-biased assessment of the current issues. Having this outside analysis will only help you convince your superiors of your findings and show the need for further investment.