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Purchasing the right digital technology can transform a small company’s performance – but making the wrong choice can be disastrous.
It’s also easy to make the wrong choice when you’re under pressure, so tackle your big IT decisions in a planned and positive way. After all, digitally-advanced small businesses can grow fast, often earning twice as much revenue per employee, according to research (Source: ‘Small business technology trends’– Deloitte).
Here are my five steps to follow when purchasing IT:
Step #1: Be clear about your business goals
Are you trying to fix a problem, find a way to do something new, or maybe both? Think about this in simple business terms, before diving into the tech. Perhaps you need to handle office tasks faster, communicate better when your team are on the road, protect your intellectual property, or manage compliance? Establish clear goals to protect you from being dazzled into buying flashy technology you don’t need.
Step #2: Get outside expertise you can trust
If you’ve got someone in your team who understands IT, that’s great. However, most SMEs won’t know the tech market inside out. So, find an independent consultant — ideally, someone recommended to you. It’s essential this person grasps your goals, empathises with your challenges and is committed to your success.
Step 3: Align your business and IT roadmaps
Your advisor will help you to explore your business challenges — and see how various technical solutions will impact your IT infrastructure. You’ll probably start getting into the finer details around content management systems, applications, fibre, bandwidth, IP addresses, firewalls, mobility and much more.
With your advisor’s help, you’ll be able to identify the kind of solution you’ll need, and a good idea of the budget required.
Please read the full article on Steer Your Business.
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