In order to get optimize their chances of success, startups should consider the potential benefits of leveraging technology to optimize their operations.
The modern business landscape is intricately linked with technology. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the successes and failures of organisations are increasingly linked to the way in which they leverage technologies. Startups should take notice, as 20% of startups fail in the first year, and more than half fail within 3 years. Of course, technology will not guarantee success for a business, however there are certain ways in which it can help to optimize different areas of the business – such as operational expenditure, internal productivity, etc. We spoke with TechQuarters, a London-based IT company that has been working with small businesses for more than 10 years now. As most London IT support companies would be able to attest to, the reliance businesses have on technology has grown steadily over the last decade.
So, what are some of the key technologies that startups should consider?
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
One of the smartest ways in which startups can leverage technology is as a means of optimising their bottom line and streamlining operational costs. The biggest impact, in this respect, can be achieved using Infrastructure as a Service (also known as IaaS).
Infrastructure as a Service refers to when a company rents cloud compute resources from a public provider (such as Amazon Web Services, or Microsoft Azure), and uses those resources to build their IT infrastructure – this is the main alternative to building on-premise infrastructure using servers. The benefit to this is that it is much more cost effective than building on-premise infrastructure. Furthermore, as cloud computing is considered an operational expenditure, rather than a capital expenditure, it has greater long-term potential for tax efficiency.
- Communication & Collaboration Solutions
Startups need to be operating as efficiently and productively as possible. The secret to productivity is strong communication and collaboration. This is something that has been in strong focus over the last few years, due to the adaptation’s businesses have needed to make in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the tech world has focused even more on developing solutions that make virtual communication and collaboration is optimised as possible. We asked TechQuarters about this – as their experience providing IT support London companies rely on means they know a great deal about modern business solutions. According to them, platforms such as Microsoft Teams – which combine unified communication with collaborative tools and workflows – can help startups revolutionise their workflows.
- Responsive Websites
In today’s world of tech-first business, commerce, and marketing, it is very important for businesses to have a high-quality website. More importantly, a business should be aware that a significant portion of their customer base will more than likely be accessing their website from a mobile device – in some cases as much as 50% of all web traffic will be mobile-based. Therefore, responsive websites are crucial for startups, who need to be creating the best possible impression among their audiences. Responsive web design is the principle of designing webpages that are optimized for both desktop and mobile.
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
In addition to providing IT support financial services companies have relied on for years, TechQuarters is also a cloud solutions provider for Microsoft; and in their opinion, software as a service (also known as SaaS) is one of the most valuable technologies a startup should be using. Any application that is cloud-based – such as Microsoft 365, Slack, or Google Workspace – is classed as software as a service. The benefit of this type of solution is that it can be accessed anywhere, whilst maintaining a high degree of security. For startups, who will depend on work flexibility, this is a highly valuable quality.
