Technology Does My New Business Need
Congratulations on the launch of your new company! You're probably starting to ponder what type of computer infrastructure you should consider for your business as your hands run over the new furnishings and you tie up a few things with your lawyer and accountant.
There are six things your business must have in order to be successful - starting from the start - and these are just some of the most basic ones. Depending on your company's special demands, you may require some technology that other companies do not. Many firms have quite similar requirements, which I'll describe in more detail below.
Local Technology Consultant
One of the most essential investments you can make is to hire one or two local technology consultants who can help you develop new products and services.
You have an accountant and a lawyer for obvious reasons; having a local technology consultant or solution provider is no different. Get references, look at their previous work, and, just like with an employee, allow the relationship time to grow so you can be confident they're working in your best interests.
High-Speed Internet Access
Every company, no matter how big or little, need high-speed internet connection. For a company, standard dial-up connectivity is simply too slow and restrictive. With high-speed internet, you can use online backup, VoIP, and other technologies that you wouldn't be able to utilise at all or as effectively with a dial-up connection.
Your internet service is the lifeblood of your business whether you solely conduct business online or do a substantial amount of business online. You must guarantee that the service provider provides excellent service and support.
Computers
Of course, each employee will require a computer. These computers shouldn't be slow, rickety, bottom-of-the-barrel antiques from the early 1990s, but rather modern, high-speed machines. Each computer should have sufficient memory (512MB or more), hard drive space (80GB or more), a fast CPU (2-3GHz), and a high-quality screen to reduce eye strain.
Your PCs must be connected to the internet through a network with a file server.
Those that work with huge files, such as graphic designers, design businesses, and others, require extremely fast computers to manage and store them rapidly. Backing up 100-word files, which a small legal firm could deal with, takes up a lot less memory than backing up 100 high-resolution photographs.
Data Security
It's important to ensure your businesses data is secure and backed up. Your local network and each of your computers should have a firewall (a hardware firewall for your network and at least a software-based firewall for each computer) and anti-virus software. Many come bundled with features to detect phishing and other online threats as well as prevent them from getting into your system.
If you have a wireless network, ensure that it is also secure. The second part of your security strategy is to ensure that all of your data is backed up and that you have a plan in place for disaster recovery. What would you do if you arrived at work and discovered nothing but a hole in the ground? What kind of plan would you have in place to get your data back onto other computers? That is the way you must think.
If your company keeps sensitive information about consumers, such as financial information or social security numbers, it's even more critical that you hire a competent security expert to help you keep it safe. Your network, as well as your web applications, must be safe. If the online program or database isn't correctly set up, hackers can go to your website and utilize "back door" flaws in the online software to access your database.
Website
Every company should have a website. For now, if you want to start with a very basic site that functions more like a digital brochure, that's OK. However, think about creating a website with useful information for your consumers, partners, and workers.
Using tools from Homestead Technologies, Microsoft Office Live, or a variety of other web-hosting businesses, you may simply create a website on your own. You may also employ a web developer to help you with this.
Filling your website with as much customer-facing information as feasible will a) minimize the number of incoming e-mail and phone calls to your firm, and b) consumers will be happy if they can serve themselves from your website.
E-Mail
I think it's unprofessional to see a growing business with an AOL, Yahoo! or Hotmail e-mail address. There's no excuse if you have one, and your web host can set it up for you as part of your web-hosting service. Or, as always, you can work with a local technology consultant to find someone who can help you out.
If you work in a regulated business, having mechanisms in place to preserve your e-mail is critical to ensuring compliance with regulatory laws.
Comments :