IT for the SB

Posted: 1/18/2007

Information Technology for the Small Business

There are as many opinions about IT approaches as there are experts out there. My best advice is to form your own judgments. Begin by assembling a clear understanding of your IT needs. Poll management and users to obtain their point-of-view on issues, such as the critical functions needed, maintenance, upcoming projects and wish lists. Once your immediate and longer-term needs are clear, start researching. IT resources are readily accessible and can greatly help in making technology decisions. If you have a trusted vendor, they can often provide good advice. Keep in mind that it’s usually best to stick to brand names for both hardware and software. You get what you pay for in terms of quality, stability and customer support.

Most distributor-sized businesses combine IT management with other responsibilities. Regardless of how you structure your IT management function, it’s best to have someone in charge of the overall plan for the entire company.

Now, let’s consider the issue of when to invest in a maintenance agreement. As a company grows and its IT needs – and reliance – increases, it becomes more difficult to operate when an IT system fails. It’s important to recognize the limitations of your internal capabilities and weigh those limitations against the consequences of an extended downtime or catastrophic loss of data.

Finally, let’s discuss the issue of standardization: While standardization of software and platforms is usually a no-brainer, centering your IT structure on a single generation of hardware can lead to “rubber-band” growth in your access to state-of-the-art technologies. For example, consider a state-of-the-art hardware advancement that will most likely have a lifespan of three years. If you standardize your entire system around it, you may be locked into an “old” technology six months later, when someone advances the state-of-the-art even further. So, staggering your buying of advancements – particularly hardware - allows you to stay more current with new developments. And, you should consider implementing new hardware in the areas of the business that need them most, such as accounting and sales.