In IT, budget defense meetings sometimes feel like boss fights. On one side: IT folks armed with LAN/WAN diagrams, scare tactics, and a half-broken laptop that “still works fine.” On the other: Finance, armed with spreadsheets, pivot tables, and the ability to ask “Do we really need this?” with Jedi-like calm.

Here’s the thing: Properly articulating our budget requests isn’t just bureaucracy. It’s survival.

– If we don’t explain it, Finance will.
Your “disaster recovery redundancy” becomes “extra computers in case PJ spills coffee again.”

– Finance doesn’t speak firewall.
To them, “firewall refresh” sounds like painting the office walls beige. Unless you explain why it prevents lawsuits, that’s exactly what you’ll get: paint, not protection.

– Budgets are like firewalls.
If you don’t configure them properly, everything gets blocked. Finance isn’t rejecting because they hate you – they’re just running on a default deny rule.

– It’s basically a phishing test.
If you can translate “multi-factor authentication” into “multi-million-dollar ransomware prevention,” you pass. If not… enjoy explaining to leadership why the ransomware gang is now your new “strategic partner.”

The trick? Stop talking ports and protocols. Start talking ROI, risk reduction, and business continuity. Translate TCP/IP into ROI/NPV, and suddenly you’re speaking Finance’s protocol.

Every peso/dollar explained well is another server patched, another backup verified, and one less boardroom conversation that starts with: “So why did we buy beanbag chairs instead of a new firewall?”

IT friends: How do you explain technical needs to non-technical finance teams?