If you want your startup to begin its corporate life in a smart, efficient way, it’s a good idea to follow a few guidelines that have already worked for thousands of other owners. Why not avoid trying to reinvent the wheel? It’s one thing to have a unique vision; that’s how entrepreneurs make their fortunes. But when it comes to topics like data security, reliable apps, a functional website, and other IT-related components, don’t try to build a new mousetrap. Follow industry leaders and veterans to build an agile, responsive, competent IT environment for your organization’s day to day needs. That’s a major task, but a doable one. Here’s how to get started.
Hire a Professional
If you’re a solo owner, consider outsourcing your IT functions to a trusted local professional. Later, you might decide to bring several tasks in-house. For now, hire the services of someone who can not only build the IT setup you need but can train you and your workers on it. The more you know about how the system works, the better. Consider spending a few days, at least, doing nothing but consulting with your IT person in order to get a firm grasp on how all the technical components fit together.
Attend to Infrastructure and Application Performance Monitoring
Consider a comprehensive infrastructure monitoring (IM) and application performance monitoring (APM) solution. Companies like appoptics.com offer all-around products that can help you stay on top of key issues like being able to plan for needed upgrades, keeping an eye on performance and productivity issues, preventing system downtime, enabling better decision making, and detecting IT problems the second they pop up.
Think Cloud
Until your organization has grown, the cloud is your best friend. Even though the majority of your technical functions are under the auspices of a hired pro, you’ll still need to know when and how to use cloud-based apps for smaller tasks and short-term jobs.
Focus on Customer Experience
IT solutions do a lot of the heavy lifting for new business owners, but they can’t design your customer experience. It’s up to you to keep an eye on this long-term goal. Ask yourself questions that will help you aim your technology resources in the right direction, like:
- Does our shopping cart offer a seamless buying experience?
- Can customers see prices and product/service information without having to click around?
- Is contact information current and visible for all website users?
- If our website load time fast and error-free?
Outsource as Much as Possible
Your IT person can’t do it all. Their job is to help build a system for daily use, not to do your taxes, make investments, shop for vendor discounts, maintain the books, and sell your products. While some of these essential tasks are not tech-based, just about anything that touches on the handling of funds is. That’s why it’s a good idea to identify outsourcing solutions for payroll, taxation, and other accounting chores. There’s a huge advantage: you won’t have to maintain or monitor complex apps that do those jobs. Essentially, you’re moving beyond a cloud-based solution and moving the entire job onto someone else’s system.