A realistic, non-gadget holiday gift guide for IT pros for 2024

The holidays are about to zoom past us. The best way to show appreciation to any of your staff is with a nice gift. But what do you give an IT pro? We know you need a realistic gift you could actually give your IT staff. Don’t worry. We got you.

And does your IT pro really want another gadget? So, don’t look at this as just the IT Professional Holiday Gift Buying guide. Let it be your gift guide any time of year.

What do I get the person who has everything?

Do you ever wonder what gifts to give to those people who seem to have everything? Sometimes they are the most difficult people to buy presents for. And sometimes, to be fair, buying birthday or holiday gifts can feel like a test. Do I really know this person? 

It can feel the same way with IT folks. Sure, tech professionals like gifts – just like the rest of us – but do they need another set of headphones or another USB cable dongle? Probably not. LIke, you wouldn’t buy a new pair of shears for a hairstylist. Right? The tools of the trade may not be the best gift.

Here’s our thinking. No matter your profession, the tools you’ve discovered that work best for you are well-researched and have evolved with your skillset. So, while it may be nice to get your IT guy a pair of Bose headphones, they may actually prefer earbuds that specifically fit their ears. And, there is an overlap with IT and the neurodivergent, so there’s that.

What is a good holiday gift for an IT pro?

Since most of my audience on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) are tech pros, I took the question to them. Aside from some joke answers (Windows 11 computer LOL) the thought-out responses didn’t surprise us. It resonated with what we know about our own users: their interests are mainly with outdoor hiking, caring for their cats, gaming (board and online) and vinyl collecting. So that gives you lots of areas of inspiration for a holiday gift guide any IT pro would love.

Without further ado, here are our top five holiday gifts for IT folks. (Even better, there are no affiliate links.)

1. Vinyl Moon – This company curates and presses independent vinyl. You can purchase a record between $27-$34. Vinyl Moon is a unique, budget-friendly gift that anyone who loves art and indie music would appreciate. Their “mixtape” vinyl album club is only $33/month. Slay.
2. LEGO Tuxedo Cat – Cats and LEGO – take my money! Wait. It’s not for me. At $99, this may be over your corporate gift threshold but it is a very cool holiday gift for 2024. No Ohio here.
3. Cat Person Gift Set – At $40, this cat person gift set from Uncommon Goods is a pretty cool gift for the cat lover on your staff. It slaps.
4. Solo Stove Campfire – This is in the Over $50 but Under $100 category but is sure to delight your IT pro who recharges in the great outdoors. A portable campfire stove for one? Slay.
5. Bookshelf Board Games – These classic board games are packaged as vintage books and look amazing in your Zoom background. They’ve been seen at TJ Maxx and HomeGoods. No cap.

If you’re looking for electronic gifts for online gamers, we’ll defer to the list that Popular Mechanics published with the same caveat. We think IT pros know what they want for their gaming setup and probably already have it.

Are there uncommon gifts that are good for the holidays?

Many people have adopted the minimalist perspective and prefer experiences over things. So while tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, for example, may break your corporate gift budget, there are other experiences that are more appropriate as a business gift.

Before we begin listing things, think about local experiences. If you’re in NYC like us, why not give a ticket to the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Guided tour for $59? If you’re in San Antonio, give tickets to the Alamo Ghost Tour for only $25. If you’re in Chicago a tour of Wrigley Field will only set you back $30. You get the idea.

Here are some experienced-based gifts that we recommend for your IT pro:

1. Painting to Gogh – No need to embarrass anyone at a Painting with Vino party, you can do it at home. Send everyone the same photo and have them share on the next Teams meeting. The studio kit is only $49.
2. World Tour Coffee Box – Does this count as a thing? Nah. Coffee is definitely an experience and with five different blends,the whole IT department can blind test and rate the blends. Or – guess the country by the cup. There’s so much you can do as a whole office, too. 
3. Annual Botanical Garden Passes — Almost every city has a botanical garden and/or Zoo. Keep your IT pro happy with forest bathing, time outside, and a break from screens. These costs vary dramatically. The Fort Worth Botanic Gardens annual pass is $60, the Gardens at Golden Gate Park is $70, and the New York Botanical Garden will set you back $95.. 
4. Regal Unlimited  – Most IT folks are movie fans so why not give them a membership to the movies – of course, you could give tickets to local theatres, but a membership is epic – and a business expense for you. This subscription costs $21.95 a month. 
5. Escape Room Tickets – Now, if your company is distributed, this may be a bit of a challenge, but the vids your IT pros post on TikTok won’t. These prices ranch from $30-50.

What IT pros really want to escape from this holiday season is endless, mind-numbing, routine tasks. This is where BetterCloud comes in.

The best holiday gift for IT pros is automation

Let your IT pro do their real job with automated SaaS management. And we’re not just talking about user lifecycles either. With BetterCloud, your IT pro can automate employee onboarding & offboarding, license reclamation, spend management, application access, and entitlement. 

Eliminate thousands of hours of manual IT work and thousands of dollars in wasted software expenses with BetterCloud. That’s the greatest gift of all.