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Small companies that are just beginning to get off the ground need to be careful about how they approach IT. Too much money spent on an IT infrastructure can inhibit a company’s growth when they are just a startup company that has recently set up shop.
Now with the enormous growth of cloud computing in the past few years, small businesses can take advantage of this form of technology in order to keep IT costs low. Cloud strategies can resolve a lot of the potential setbacks that startups experience when building their IT infrastructure.
It takes planning and some important knowledge for a new company to set up their IT. These are some tips to help startups to select the right infrastructure that will serve them best.
1. Do Research and Don’t Rush
So many new companies are too eager to get started and make a quick decision that is often disappointing. Start by doing your homework and evaluating how certain options match up to your business goals. If you know what your business objectives are then you will have a better sense of what infrastructure will best suit your needs.
2. Compare Costs and Create a Budget
Especially for startups, the amount of money spent on building and maintaining an IT infrastructure is one of the most important factors in selecting a provider. As a budding company you might not have the capital that it takes to purchase and run an infrastructure onsite. Determine how much of your budget can be spent on IT costs and find an option that caters to your financial situation.
3. Evaluate Your Company’s IT Expertise
An IT infrastructure can require the work of people experienced in technology to maintain the system or create disaster recovery options. If yo
u do not have the level of expertise necessary to run your own infrastructure then you might consider using an offsite data center.
4. Consider Your Resource Needs
If you are a small startup company but are hoping to expand then you might want to have options to increase your resources in the future. A more flexible and scalable IT infrastructure could be a preferred option for a company looking to grow.
5. Look for Reputable Providers
If you are planning to outsource your IT and are interested in infrastructure providers then always look into their customer satisfaction ratings. A provider with a good reputation among its customers will be beneficial to a startup that does not want to run into any IT problems so early on in the life of their company.
6. Determine Your Security Needs
When looking into providers, security is a big issue that has to be addressed before jumping anything
. Consider what your company’s specific security needs are and then review the security policies of any provider you are interested in.
7. Visit Potential Providers
A good way to select the right infrastructure provider is to see exactly what they do and how their facility it run. Visiting their operations center and meeting the people involved can give you a better understanding of how your company can benefit from their services.
About the Author: Leo Hart has years of experience helping IT companies reduce costs by using customized virtual servers through Custom Cloud.
