Initially, as a small business owner and starter you will not necessarily start a business with high and complex technology needs, so the answer will be- NO. However, it is vital for any business in the 21st century to contain some technological features to successfully compete, grow and capitalize on opportunities in the present business environment.
Many businesses have very similar needs, so, depending on the specific needs of your business, there will be some particular technologies you'll need that other businesses have no need for. Here are six things your business must have in the beginning in order to be successful.
Local Technology Consultant
One of the most important investments you can make is to ensure you have one or two local technology consultants who you trust, who know about your business, and who can guide you in your technology growth. A good place to find small-business solution providers is at Microsoft's Small Business Specialist Program.
High-Speed Internet Access
Every business, no matter how big or small, needs high-speed access to the internet. Having traditional dial-up access is simply too slow and too limiting for a business. High-speed internet will enable you to take advantage of online backup, VoIP and other technologies you wouldn't be able to do at all or as efficiently with a dial-up connection.
For those businesses that are only online or do a significant amount of business online, your internet service is the life blood of your business. You must ensure that the vendor providing the service offers very reliable service and support.
Computers
Of course, you must have computers for each employee. These computers shouldn't be slow, rinky-dink, bottom-of-the-barrel relics from the early '90s, but should be relatively new, high-speed tools. Each computer should have plenty of memory (512MB or more), hard-disk space (80GB or more), a fast processor (2-3GHZ) and a quality screen for minimum eyestrain.
Data Security
It's absolutely imperative that your businesses data is secure and backed up. Your local network and each of your computers should have a firewall (a hardware firewall for your network and at least a software-based firewall for each computer) and anti-virus software (many come bundled with features to detect phishing and other online threats as well).
Website and Email
Every business must have a website. If you want to start out with a very simple site that's more like a digital brochure, that's fine for now. But consider having a website filled with relevant information for your customers, partners and employees.
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