Important IT considerations
For
New Start-up companies
Speedster-IT Ltd
12 Riga Mews
Commercial Road
London E1 1LL
020 3011 1234
www.Speedster IT-it.com
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Important IT considerations for New Business start-ups
Setting up a new business can be overwhelming, particularly when it comes to
making the right financial decisions with respect to the IT infrastructure on which a
company will run. Whilst it may seem that the only option is to purchase solutions
which will suffice for the short-term, such investments may quickly become
inhibitors to future growth, yet it doesn’t need to be like that.
The solution is simple – a mixture of good advice and the right finance options.
Let’s look at the common elements required by start-ups, to get you ready for your
first day of trading:
Software – Cloud Computing
Cloud Services are often not considered by start-ups as they were considered
expensive and utilised only by large corporations. However, in an IT Pro Magazine
article, former Dragon’s Den presenter James Caan explains that for new businesses,
Cloud Computing has, ‘changed the landscape quite significantly.
As shown in the diagram, the hardware you utilise is accessing applications and
information without the need for internal IT infrastructure. This provides 24/7
remote access anywhere in the world (as long as there is web access).
In addition, it is possibly the most secure place that you can store your critical data.
Using cloud infrastructure is the natural starting point for any new project, but do
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you have the hardware to get started and how are you going to finance it?
At Speedster IT our customers depend on our expertise and experience and trust us
to make the right recommendations. We are lucky to have David Cairns as our
Technical Director, a London cloud expert strategist who has been building private
clouds for entrepreneurs & start-ups since 2008. He is supported by a team that are
used to delivering projects on budget and on time.
Some cloud providers have performance and resources limitations – ask about
processing power, RAM memory, storage, hardware used. These can affect the
performance of both their servers and your access. Their backup should be a key
question, if you’re hosting a website, an e-commerce site, rich content or videos, or
just lots of data, look for hidden costs, like bandwidth. Although you maybe small in
the beginning over time this will change and you don’t want spiralling cost. Also
consider growth & scaling up, if in the future you need to spread your cloud services
across multiple physical servers your scaling will get complicated and expensive.
Microsoft Office 365 & hosted email for Start-ups
The best overall solution with a breadth of modules and features is without doubt
Microsoft Office 365. Low up-front costs and no expensive hardware requirements.
Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based solution, which synchronises emails, calendars,
and contact information across your devices in real time, so it’s up to date, no
matter what device is in your hand and is accessible 24/7 – 365 anywhere in the
world, all you need is web access.
Office 365 allows you to easily use your own domain name with your email accounts,
set up new email accounts with ease & advanced security, keeping you in control of
your business information.
Built around the familiar Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.) software. Office 365
has a vast amount of products and services included in its various monthly
subscription-based-pricing. These options include Exchange Online, SharePoint
Online, and Skype for Business, the Microsoft Office Suite, and Microsoft Web Apps.
Cost Advantages
Minimal monthly or upfront outlay & no initial setup fees. Gone are the days of the
traditional infrastructure fee’s for any start-up, which were considerable.
Subscriptions can range from as little as £5 per month per user, depending on the
applications you need. If you want to add applications later then there is an
adjustment to your monthly subscription and it is activated within minutes.
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Key advantages of Office365
1. All subscribers receive access to a copy of Word, Power Point, Excel,
OneDrive and OneNote files
2. Unlimited OneDrive storage
3. Dropbox integration
4. Skype for business
5. Up to 150mb sending capabilities per email with in your team
6. Secure file sharing abilities – Invite others in your team to access files online
7. Full control over document accessibility
8. Office 365 was made with the user in mind, simple to set up and keeps your
team in touch, any time on any device from anywhere
Free 30 day office 365 trial – Currently, you can take advantage of our free 30 day
trial on Office 365 E2 package available to all new UK start-up customers >>> APPLY
HERE .(Support not included)
Other Considerations:
Hardware – finance options (hardware procurement)
As a start-up business, you could benefit from three years finance, subject to
approval – contact our Speedster IT Hardware procurement team to see if you are
eligible.
Leasing is the most certain way to avoid tying up money that could be invested
elsewhere. At Speedster IT we have been leasing equipment to businesses for over
10 years. We test what we sell and won’t recommend, unless fully convinced that
the technology is fit for purpose.
Purchasing Domains (website)
If you want to be found on the Web, the perfect domain name can be well worth the
money, but don’t pay a fortune. The key things to focus on are, your brand and the
keywords used (Search Engine Optimisation). The combination of your brand within
your domain name, plays a big part in being found, heard and recognised in any
Social Media (SMM). Your domain is the foundation upon which your online brand
will be built.
Is a local domain right for my online business?
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For a new website, and a local business the domain suffix could have some great SEO
benefits. You could think of it as being similar to the post code for your region. But if
your brand has a worldwide audience, snap up the .com, .co.uk, and other local
domain options if you want to protect your brand. Need assistance? We can help
you search out and register the perfect domains.
Broadband – Internet services
Once you have established where your business will be located you will need good
advice on the right Bandwidth to ensure your people get the best data speeds for
the work they are going to carry out. This area is a minefield, as there are some
many different suppliers and options. Once you know your postcode we can do
some early research as to best options in the area. If you don’t get this bit right you
will struggle.
Outsourcing IT and Helpdesk support
If like most people who are starting up a business you get frustrated when
technology lets you down and considering employing someone just to look after
your IT issues is expensive and unnecessary. Then consider outsourcing your IT
support to a company that provides fast and efficient issue resolution at a fraction
of the price of employing someone. A fixed monthly fee that has unlimited access
whether by phone, e-mail or site visit.
Summary
At Speedster IT, we have recognised that the benefits of working with a partner
who can recommend a host of solutions is critical. Fragmented investment choices
can appear to save money initially but can be very costly in the long-term.
We see cloud computing for start-ups as an opportunity to add high-end computing
power and storage with cost efficient and easily activated options.
Once you have an innovative product or service up and running utilising our systems
and experience, you’ll be ready to build the business as you always planned.
Speedster IT – helping start-ups get their IT right first time. If
you would like more information call us on 0203 011 1234 or
e-mail [email protected]