When it comes to IT solutions, start-ups need to think carefully about their approach to maximize success. In the Information Age, a solid suite of solutions can be even more crucial than the office itself, but getting started doesn’t need to be difficult. Here’s a simple 5-step approach any start-up entrepreneur can take to ensure success.
- Work Out a Conservative Budget
Budgets can be life or death for any CEO’s new company, but if you remember to factor in unexpected expenses and give yourself a reasonable cushion to fall back on, you’ll be in great stead from the get-go. Computer hardware, office space and personnel all need to be factored in, and allowing yourself enough for IT solutions will avoid headaches as you scale up.
- Prioritize Tools Based on Your Budget
Armed with a smart budget, you can then start tweaking elements like employee salaries, office location and IT solutions to see how big a slice of the pie each component takes. It’s true that you often get what you pay for, and you should look into the suite of services any IT solutions provider is offering and consider if they meet your start-up’s needs.
- Slash Costs by Outsourcing
Outsourcing to network support services is a fantastic way of cutting employee costs. You could minimize expenses to about a quarter of what it would cost to hire several employees to do the same task. What’s more, when you outsource you’ll have customer service to turn to when issues arise, and can direct your energy to the running of your new business. Having a helpdesk at the other end of the phone also means someone’s always on hand to assist. The majority of start-ups find this approach far preferable to managing it themselves, as the hassle of technical maintenance is dealt with, freeing up more time.
- Get Recommendations
The great thing about start-ups is that they’re an inherently experimental and social endeavor. If you have any friends or family with their own start-up companies, then you should use the opportunity to talk to them about their experiences. You can also reach out online and network with other CEOs to share ideas and become part of the community in your particular field of business. Others may be able to help you avoid mistakes and give a good idea of what’s important in this area.
- Consider What You Need and What You Don’t
There are a few obvious must-haves for any start-up, like a solid IT network backed up externally for disaster recovery should theft or hardware failure occur. Depending on the type of business you’re creating, you’ll also probably be looking for good cloud services and IT consulting, for being completely sure you’re covering all the important bases. Team collaboration, metrics and communication software may also be necessary for your new company.
Taking these five steps will put you in an excellent position to start your business the right way, with an effective IT solutions package and assistance where you need it when issues arise.