subject: It Advice For Small and Growing Businesses [print this page] It Advice For Small and Growing Businesses
As a small business owner, it is easy to fall into a trap with computers. The trap is very simple... Out of sight, out of mind. That is to say, that if everything works as the company is accustomed to, the computer system is rarely given a second thought. In this article, I will cover some basic steps that companies should take, or be mindful of, in order to be able to grow their operation with ease and functionality when it comes to IT.
Many small businesses start with just one or 2 computers, and little to no plans for expansion as the company grows. As a small business owner myself, I am aware of just how chaotic that role can be, and how difficult it is to focus on the little stuff that more or less works. The problem here, is that I have seen several companies that have started this way, and have grown in a very similar manner. When these companies reach 10-15 work stations, things can really begin to become inconvenient, slow down, stop fulfilling their required roles, or just plain break. The lack of functionality is generally caused by an attitude of "Well, we need to start doing X, so grab that piece of equipment and slap it in there." As a result, as the system grows without direction or guidance, it becomes very hodgepodge and decentralized. This creates many more points for possible breaks and glitches, and can be a tremendous hindrance to efficiency. Additionally, it is much harder to secure and backup data on a very decentralized network, and the overall value of data security continues to rise every day. Companies stand to lose more and more if their data is lost. Planning and forethought is key.
There are a few solutions to this issue. My biggest recommendation would be to consult a professional early on in the development of your company, so that they can offer good advice on where to move next with your IT. If you would prefer to do it yourself, the general model that I would follow is centralize early, and buy less equipment that can do more. With the growing popularity of cloud computing, virtual centralization is becoming very easy. The goal is to make a computer system like an organized series of spokes, connected to well maintained hubs, and with this, maintenance, backup, and troubleshooting all become much easier.
If you are in the stage where your computers are beginning to fall into disarray, it is probably time to call a Pro out to have a look at things. This generally happens when a specific piece of equipment fails, or a service goes down, or anything IT related in general happens that impacts day to day operations. As an IT consultant, I beseech you to listen to what the professional has to say, and to begin to very seriously entertain the possibility of implementing more than a temporary band-aid solution. It may cost substantially more than a band aid, but if your business is in this state of kerfufflery, you will see a much higher long term benefit from stabilizing the system properly to accommodate the new higher load, than you will from having a fix that will break every so often.
Another good piece of advice: Get yourself a GOOD IT guy early! It is highly advisable to use a local IT firm, and one that is small enough to remember your company. The benefits of this can be tremendous. Simply having someone look at your system a couple times per year, and know it will allow them to give you far better advice as your system grows. I say that it is important to find a good IT firm or professional, because there are some bad ones out there, and you may find yourself having to switch firms, and paying someone new to fix the mistakes that you paid the previous firm to make. There are many things to look for when looking for a good IT support professional:
Look for a proper company (be extremely wary of that 15 dollar per hour guy on craigslist.)
Look for relevant certifications ( A+, Network Plus, Microsoft Certified Professional, etc)
Ask for references, and for companies, try to get references of companies of comparable size. (this is tremendously valuable)
If, at the beginning, you simply establish that you have one firm that you are going to call with your IT issues, what you will wind up doing is building a relationship with technicians that know your system inside and out from the ground up, and are able to grow and service your system far more efficiently than anyone else could. Don't wait for your computers to break to call a pro... Start calling them now! Chat them up until you find one you like, and then save their information. At the very least, then you will have a good person to call should something catastrophic happen, as opposed to panicking over the yellow pages, and hoping that the person who comes out is competent, and not going to empty your wallet.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
