What IT Services Might I Need as a Start-Up?
When starting a business, technology can quickly become another item on an already long to-do list. You may need a website, email addresses, somewhere to store documents, a way for customers to contact you and suitable security — all before you have made your first sale. The good news is that IT services for small business do not have to be complicated or expensive from day one. A start-up can begin with a relatively small technology stack and add additional services as the business develops.
Your domain name is a sensible place to start. Ideally, register your business domain before investing heavily in branding so that the name you want is available online. From there, you can establish a website using reliable web hosting and create professional email addresses using the same domain. We have previously covered this in more detail in our guide to domain and hosting for a new business. Even if the first version of your website is simple, putting these foundations in place gives the business an online identity that can develop alongside it.
Build Your Business Around Cloud Services
A new company is also an ideal opportunity to establish good working practices before information becomes scattered across personal accounts and devices. Microsoft 365 can provide business email, calendars, cloud file storage and collaboration tools within the same environment. Setting up individual user accounts and keeping company information within business-controlled services from the outset can make life considerably easier when you employ your second, fifth or tenth member of staff.
Security should be built into those foundations as well. Multi-factor authentication, secure passwords, properly controlled user accounts and reliable backups are much easier to implement when the business is small than retrofit several years later. If the start-up will be operated remotely or employees frequently work while travelling, an encrypted VPN service may also form part of your security toolkit, particularly when connecting through networks you do not control.
Choose Technology That Can Grow With You
Think about communications and connectivity too, but only where they make sense for the business. A dedicated VoIP business telephone service can give a start-up a professional business number while allowing calls to be handled away from a traditional desk. A company moving into premises may need properly planned Wi-Fi and networking, while a start-up with a specialist workflow might eventually benefit from a bespoke web application. The key is to choose services that can expand without forcing you to rebuild your entire technology environment every time the company grows.
At 21st Webb, we work with start-ups and SMEs across a range of industries, providing services including domains, web hosting, business email, Microsoft 365, VoIP, VPN services, Hosted UniFi networking and bespoke web applications. You do not necessarily need all of them when launching your company. Start with the technology that supports the way you need to operate today, establish a secure and professional foundation, and choose IT services for your small business that leave you room to grow tomorrow.