Why Your Business Should be Taking IT Seriously
IT is now ubiquitous in the modern workplace. It makes everyone’s jobs easier and facilitates both internal and external communications. Without IT, businesses would never be able to achieve their current levels of productivity and would struggle to compete.
Many entrepreneurs use their personal IT devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, to handle their business as well as personal functions. However, there are also advantages to investing in dedicated business devices. This applies to other workers who join your startup as well.
Many startups assume that investing in IT products such as hardware and software is a cost that they can’t afford. But these things are more affordable than ever before, and the money you spend can also be offset against your tax bill. When it comes to buying new IT equipment for your startup, these are the things you need to keep in mind.
Define Your Business Needs
Before you start looking at potential IT purchases, you first need to define exactly what it is that your business will do with them. Different businesses have different needs. Some will require much more specialised IT equipment than others. There are some things that are common across most types of business, such as emailing customers and suppliers, keeping financial records, producing invoices, monitoring stock levels, maintaining personnel records, and producing marketing media.
Thinking about the kind of things your business needs IT for will help you in deciding exactly what kind of technology you need to introduce into the workplace. Just don’t expect to be able to define everything right off the bat. It is likely that you will identify additional needs once your business is up and running. Instead, focus on meeting your most important needs, then ensure you have the room and flexibility to introduce new technology as you identify the need for it.
Set a Budget and Investigate Your Options
Generally, a startup doesn’t need sophisticated IT infrastructure, and shooting for the top of the range solutions will represent needless and excessive spending. Instead, you should focus on acquiring the hardware and software that can meet your most essential needs. You can always add to and upgrade this later. However, don’t fall into the trap of being too restrained with your spending. You don’t want to overspend, but you also don’t want to spend money on things that ultimately aren’t going to be of any use to you.
Setting a budget is always a good way of ensuring that you keep your spending down to reasonable levels, but it is often easier said than done. If you have only ever purchased IT equipment for your own personal use, it can be difficult to estimate your costs when it comes to purchasing IT for business. You should factor in your uncertainty when setting your budget. The more uncertain you are about the costs of securing the IT infrastructure you need, the more wiggle room you should leave yourself in case it costs more than you think.
One of the best ways of keeping your costs down when purchasing IT equipment for your business is to find a business that offers IT purchasing services. NECL has years of experience in providing IT for startups in London; this includes enabling them to take advantage of the extensive list of contacts and relationships that we have developed over the years. We can help you to get the best value possible when acquiring IT supplies by working with a number of the industry’s leading suppliers.
Keep Your IT Secure
Once you have identified all the equipment that you need, you then need to develop a strategy for ensuring it’s secure. Cybersecurity is of paramount importance to businesses today. You simply cannot afford to neglect this aspect of your corporate IT. Not only can weaknesses in your security be a massive inconvenience to you but they can also ultimately end up costing your business financially.
To keep your IT secure, you should ensure you have the basic defences in place, namely antivirus software and a firewall. It is also a good idea to either hire a security consultant or to outsource your network security, depending on what your budget allows for.
Every modern startup needs to invest in IT. IT is essential for ensuring the productivity of your business and allowing your business to remain competitive. Whether you are gearing up for your business launch or your startup has already opened its doors, you need to think carefully about your most pressing IT needs and how you can meet them.
