Planning next year’s IT: what to renew, replace, and retire
A simple three-step way to plan next year’s IT: list what you have, then decide what to renew, replace, and retire, with the support deadlines to check first.
Most small businesses plan their IT the same way: something breaks, someone buys a replacement, and the budget gets sorted out afterward. A better approach takes an afternoon in the fall, before next year’s budget is set. Make a list of everything your business depends on, and put each item into one of three groups: renew, replace, or retire.
Here is how to build that list, what to look for, and the deadlines worth checking first.
Step 1: Write down what you have
You can’t plan around things you don’t know about. Start a simple spreadsheet with one row per item and these columns:
- What it is: computers, phones, network equipment, servers, printers, and every software subscription.
- Who uses it and who owns the account.
- When it renews or expires: subscription dates, domain names, security certificates, warranties.
- What it costs per year.
- Age of hardware, and the end-of-support date for software.
Your credit card and bank statements are the fastest way to find forgotten subscriptions. Also check the admin screens of the tools you already use, such as the Microsoft 365 admin center, which lists your licenses and who they are assigned to.
Step 2: Sort each item into renew, replace, or retire
| Decision | Ask yourself | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| Renew | Is it still supported, used by the people who have it, and worth what it costs? | Microsoft 365 licenses that are in use, your domain name, a backup service that has passed a test restore |
| Replace | Is it nearing the end of support, failing more often, or slowing people down? | Computers that can’t run Windows 11, old routers and firewalls, software the vendor no longer updates |
| Retire | Does anyone still need it, or does something else already do the job? | Duplicate tools, unused licenses, accounts for former staff, an old server running one forgotten app |
If an item is hard to sort, that is useful information too. It usually means nobody owns it. Give every item one named owner, even if the owner is you.
What to renew
Renewing should be a decision, not something that happens automatically. Before a subscription renews, check three things:
- Is it used? Look at the usage reports or just ask the team. A tool nobody has signed in to for six months is a retire candidate, not a renew.
- Is the plan the right size? Seats for people who left, or a premium tier nobody uses the extras on, are common waste.
- Can you lock in a better deal? Many vendors offer a lower price for paying annually instead of monthly. Ask before you renew, not after.
Some things should always be renewed on time, because a lapse is painful. Your domain name is the biggest one: if it expires, your website and email can stop working. Turn on auto-renew, and make sure the contact email on the account is one that someone actually reads.
What to replace
Replacements are where the real money goes, so it helps to know the dates in advance. A few worth checking now:
- Windows 10 computers. Regular support ended on October 14, 2025. Business customers can pay for Extended Security Updates, but the price doubles each year and the program has a limited run. Our Windows 10 cost comparison has the dates and prices. Computers that qualify for Windows 11 can upgrade for free; the rest are replacement candidates.
- Older Office and Exchange. Microsoft ended support for Office 2016, Office 2019, Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 on October 14, 2025. If you still run any of them, replacing them is overdue.
- Windows Server 2016. Microsoft’s listed end of extended support is January 12, 2027. If you have an on-premises server running it, decide now whether to upgrade it or move what it does to the cloud.
- Network equipment. Routers, firewalls, and Wi-Fi access points stop getting security updates too. Check each manufacturer’s end-of-life page for the models you own.
Confirm any date against Microsoft’s lifecycle pages (learn.microsoft.com/lifecycle) before you budget around it, since vendors do change them.
For computers, a common rule is to plan on replacing them every four to five years, and to spread the purchases across several years instead of buying everything at once. Replacing a fifth of your fleet each year is far easier to budget for than a surprise bill for the whole office.
What to retire
Retiring things is the part most businesses skip, and it is where the most risk hides. Every unused account, old server, and forgotten tool is something that costs money, needs updates, and can be attacked.
- Duplicate tools. Three file-sharing services, or two video-meeting apps, mean you pay twice and your files are scattered. Pick one and move people over.
- Accounts for people who have left. Block sign-in, hand over the data, and remove the license. The quarterly Microsoft 365 checkup walks through this.
- Old hardware. Before you recycle a computer, server, or phone, wipe the drive properly. Deleting files is not enough.
- Shared logins and old passwords. Replace them with individual accounts protected by multifactor authentication.
Retire carefully. Before you switch something off, confirm what depends on it and keep a backup of its data for a set period. A good approach is to turn it off first, wait a month to see whether anyone notices, and delete it only after that.
Don’t forget security and backups. A plan that only covers equipment and software leaves out the things that protect you. Make sure next year’s budget includes multifactor authentication for every account, backups that you have tested by restoring a file, and basic security awareness for your team. If you haven’t looked at the first one yet, start with MFA for small businesses: security defaults or Conditional Access?
Step 3: Turn the list into a budget and a calendar
Once every item is sorted, the planning gets simple:
- Total each group. Add up what renewals will cost, what replacements will cost, and what you’ll save by retiring things.
- Sort the replacements by deadline. Anything with a hard end-of-support date goes first. Failing hardware comes next, and nice-to-have upgrades come last.
- Spread the work across the year. Put each purchase and each renewal date on a calendar, with a reminder 60 to 90 days ahead so you have time to negotiate or switch.
- Add a cushion. Set aside roughly 10 percent for the things you can’t predict, such as a laptop that dies or a price increase.
- Review it every quarter. A plan on paper only helps if you check it. Fifteen minutes each quarter keeps it current.
Get a second opinion
You don’t need an outside expert to do this, but a second pair of eyes can help. It is common to spot a license you’re overpaying for, a deadline you missed, or a risk that nobody was tracking.
If you’d like help building your list or planning the year ahead, get in touch. Helping small businesses decide what to keep, what to change, and what to let go is a big part of what I do.