What technology services should you choose for your business? You’re not the only one wondering.
Entrepreneurs know better than anyone what “growing pains” are, and the more successful your startup or small business becomes, the harder it is to choose the correct technology assets. We spoke to two experts on the subject and left with several conclusions:
- Your tech solutions actually start with people.
- You won’t survive without better-than-necessary hosting.
- Scalability matters in functionality, cost, and support.
People: Start with a Technology Partner
Daniel Rowles of Target Internet told us that starting with the right partners can be even more important than investing in the right technology down the road.
“It’s essential for founders either to have IT skills or to have trusted partners in place when they start out,” Rowles said. “As a company, we’re very lucky in that I originally studied computer engineering and computer science, and started my career life as a web developer.
“Without these skills, it would have been too costly and beyond our skillset to build the company in the first place. Even for us, technology and developers have been, and remain, one of the key challenges to get right.”
It’s almost irrelevant what you do after the fact; if your founding partners don’t have the technical wherewithal to get your new company off the ground, you should hold off on launching.
Hosting: Start with More Than is Necessary
You never know what piece of content or product will “go viral,” so make sure your servers are adequate for sudden surges in traffic.
“We take a belt and braces approach to avoiding growing pains wherever possible,” advises Rowles.” “We have hosting that far exceeds our needs, so we never experience slowdowns, for example. We back everything thing up in triplicate. We never want to experience business-damaging problems that are things we could have avoided. There are enough problems that are impossible to predict!
Whether you’re trying to secure your data in case of a natural disaster, prepare for your next blog post to go viral, or invest in enough hosting that you never have to worry about it again, don’t cut corners with hosting.
Your Technology Services Must have Multi-Dimensional Scalability
“When identifying the right technology assets, there is one primary thing to consider; scalability,” said Mark Defosse of Ribbonfish, a tech solutions company targeting media and publishing.
Scalability comes in different shapes and sizes, though, and to start off, your technology solutions must be scalable in functionality and user base.
“This means that functionality can be stretched, and integration with other enterprise tools may be necessary,” said Defosse. “In addition, more users will require access – perhaps across different departments. Your technology must fluidly cope with long-term growth.”
Secondly, your business technology solutions must be scalable regarding the budget–the costs must start low while your budget is low, and grow only when your business is ready to invest more.
Thirdly, your technology should be scalable in terms of support. “As your demands on the tool increase, users will need more regular contact with support staff – to fix bugs, request features, or for general user guidance,” said Defosse.
Do you need expert advice about finding technology services for your small, medium or large business? Give us a call at (888) 596-4720; we’d love to help you find affordable, helpful, and scalable IT solutions today.