There are a lot of things to consider when starting a business. Funding, marketing, market testing, and more can all take precedence, but technology should be right up there near the top of the list. There is a wide range of technology choices you are going to be faced with when starting a business.

Starting a business today means considering technology from data center services to which thermal fax paper is right for your business. There are a lot of little decisions about big decisions that you have to make when starting a business that is going to greatly affect whether your business succeeds or not.

Start With the Basics

There are a few basics when it comes to technology that you need to get out of the way early on. Website design is really the first hurdle. Launching your website early on when starting a business can help to get people excited about your business before you ever actually open the doors.

The right web design service will offer a turn-key approach. They will get to know your vision and build your business website around that vision. A website is not only important to get he word out about your business but it is a great way to collect marketing data for your business.

Starting a business without a website in today’s market is simply a bad idea. An engaging website that is built for both visual appeal and functionality can help you to collect data about your demographics, help you to focus campaigns based on that data, and will take some of the stress out of starting a business.

Every start-up runs on a tight budget, there are plenty of places to “cut the fat” but web design is not one of those places. The old adage you get what you pay for is never truer than when it comes to professional web design. Don’t skimp in this area or you will find yourself having to deal with a redo very shortly down the road.

Look For a Managed Tech Provider

One of the ways you can cut that fat that we mentioned, is by not hiring an IT team. What? Don’t hire a tech team? Yes, do not. You may feel like this is simply bad advice but it is actually very good advice.

You do not need to hire a full-time team to manage your tech needs, instead opt for a managed tech provider. This type of business can help you to have the type of tech that you need for starting a new business at the fraction of the cost of having onsite IT employees manage it for you.

Any business coach will tell you that right out the gate there are a few things that you need to stand firm on when starting a new business, and a few areas you should be flexible in. One of the things that you should stand firm on is your finances.

Outsourcing your tech needs is a sound financial decision and can come with some unforeseen tax benefits. Most expenses for tech management can be a business write off at tax time. You do not enjoy the same benefits by hiring an in house team.

A managed tech company can manage every area of your tech needs including how to recover lost files should that ever be an issue. It is an easier way to have the tech that you need without any of the headaches, and it can be a very financially savvy choice to make.

Data is the New Currency

In today’s business environment data is the new currency. It is not enough to have an alarm system for businesses to keep the bad guys out any more. Today, cybersecurity is a must. Hackers are prevalent all over the web, they are a constant threat that can take your business out.

No matter what type of business you are starting there will likely be some data that you collect from customers and clients, that data is like gold. Starting a business without strong cybersecurity in place can be a huge risk.

Why should cybersecurity be a priority when starting a new business? Consider the following:

• Your business reputation is at stake. There are a few very important things that you want to cultivate with your demographic. You want to be viewed as a company that can be trusted, and you want to establish your business as an expert in the field. A data breach where hackers have access to your customer’s information is a quick way to lose their trust, especially as a new business.
• Data is gold. Protecting your data is vital to the success of your business. You will use your data for everything from marketing to setting work schedules to purchasing materials. Corrupt data or data that has been stolen can prevent you from realizing the dreams you have for starting a business and being successful.
• Hackers can be your competition. While no one likes to think that their competitors would support such seedy activities, you just never know. Your data could be a valuable tool for your competitors.

When your customers hand you their information they are doing so believing that you will be able to protect that information from identity thieves. Having a security system in place that locks down your data will help to create a trusted relationship that you want to have with your customers.

Having the right cybersecurity for your new business is a must to protect valuable data. Consulting with a firm that specializes in cybersecurity is one of the first steps in starting a new business.

Let’s Talk About Communication

You do not have to be an expert in telephone systems to understand the basics. While having a great website where people can reach out to you is wonderful, you will still need a phone system that people can call in on.

VOIP (voice over internet protocol) is one of the most affordable, practical, and highly reliable phone systems there are today. VOIP lets you conduct business from wherever you are. It can be more affordable than traditional analog wired in phone systems and it can deliver the support that you need for how business is done today.

Connecting with a provider that can give you options for your communication system should be on the top of your list of things to do for starting a new business. Having all the tools that you need to promote success will make the road a lot easier.

Remote Workers

Thanks to new technology, hiring remote workers is more popular than ever. Hiring remote workers can be a great solution for any new business. It is a great way to save money. With remote workers you can:

• Save greatly on overhead costs. You will not need to set up a brick and mortar space. You can manage your entire business virtually.
• Remote workers can be less expensive and offer your business more flexibility.
• There are studies that confirm that remote workers are more productive than traditional workers. They use the time that they would traditionally use for commuting to be productive.

Keeping costs down when starting a new business is vital to the success of your business. Remote workers come with the advantage of not requiring you to cover a high overhead for office space. The remote worker absorbs the cost of electricity that they use and the equipment that they use.

Technology allows your workers to remotely access your software system to provide customer care, cold call potential leads, viewing billing, fulfill orders and more. Basically everything a worker can do in an office can be done remotely now.

Remote workers when starting a new business can help you to reach and support a global audience, visit www.loftypm.com/. Imagine having staff half away across the planet that can provide customer care to customers in their time zone.

Remote workers can be a game-changer when you are starting a new business. You are no longer tethered to your own neighborhood or region. You can have a global workforce for a fraction of the cost of what it would take to build that workforce using traditional models.

Virtual Office Support

A lot of new business owners are tapping into the benefits that virtual office support has to offer. Again, thanks to new advances in technology, you can save money without sacrificing quality support.

Virtual office support can deliver a wide range of support from the simple things like leasing you a great office address that will impress customers and other business owners, mail forwarding services, administrative services, payroll support and much more.

A virtual office system for those starting a new business can:

• Help keep them organized. Virtual office support can be the key to making sure you never miss a call and never miss an opportunity to impress a new client.
• Help give your business the validity it deserves by giving you an impressive address. A virtual office address is far better than a PO Box or worse yet your home address. People associate a reputable business with a reputable business address. Technology makes it possible to have THAT address without draining your bank account.
• Help you have the services that you need to manage your business without going broke paying for staff.

Technology has made it easy to tap into the resources that you need to manage your business in a whole new way. Traditionally for an office to run smoothly behind the scenes, there was an entire staff of full-time employees. Today, virtual administrators, payroll, bookkeeping, answering service, phone monitoring, and more is available. You can even rent meeting rooms and office space by the hour.

Starting a new business can be affordable when you know how to use technology to your advantage. There are more solutions for support than there ever has been.

Wrapping It All Up

Starting a new business 25 years ago meant securing a location, and paying a lease, buying phone equipment and other communication equipment, and paying to have it all installed. You had to hire staff and pay for them. You would have to buy ads in magazines and newspapers to get the word out. The litany of things that you would have to pay for before you ever opened your business was incredible.

Today you can start a business at your dining room table and launch it online. You can have access to a wide range of equipment and communication tools in the cloud through a single vendor. Social media is the new advertising platform where you can spread the word about your business and much of it can be done organically.

It is easier than ever starting a business if you make technology the priority for your business. It’s now things like choosing data center services that can put all the pieces into place for you to work your magic and build a successful business. Of course, if you have a brick and mortar business, you have a longer list of things to do, but even with brick and mortar businesses, using technology to your advantage is the key to success.

You do not have to be an expert in all the technology that is available that can make starting a business easier, but you do have to be willing to enlist the help of people that do. Hiring the experts in technology can be the best investment that you make for your business.