Virtually all businesses whether home or office based, rely
heavily on the use of I.T. As a small business, we
fully understand the needs of other companies who
are also required to implement some form of I.T. infrastructure, ensure that
the cost is not prohibitive, and that down time is kept to an
absolute minimum, which can have a serious impact on day to day
running costs.
Our philosophy is to keep I.T. solutions simple, and to avoid
complicated installations, that can make troubleshooting
problems more difficult when they occur.
The checklist below highlights just some of the issues
that should be considered before implementing a small business
infrastructure:
-
Plan the layout of the proposed
workspace depending on the number of individuals occupying the
space at any one time.
-
Decide how many computers will be
required and whether they need to be standalone or in some way
networked.
-
Linked to the above consider the need
for peripheral devices such as printers and scanners. Will a
network reduce the cost of printing equipment by sharing a
reduced number between all users.
-
Consider what kind of Internet
connection will be implemented, ADSL (telephone based) or Cable
(Virgin Media).
-
What type of computer(s) will be
required and more importantly, what version of Windows and other
software should be purchased.
-
Do not forget to include some form of
backup equipment. The rule of thumb should be save data to
at least two different locations in order to avoid loss.
-
Decide whether you will install and
configure all the equipment and software yourself, or look for a
company that will not only install it, but support it at a
reasonable annual cost.
-
Will you require a Web presence, it does
not have to be all singing and dancing, the simpler the better.
All you need to do is get your message out to as wide an
audience as possible.
-
If you have an office with a shop-front
would your business benefit from some sort of "Digital Signage".
-
In conclusion, you should seriously
consider both physical and software based security to protect
both your premises and computers.
It is intended to attach a series of help sheets to this page in
order to illustrate just some of the issues that need to be
considered when setting up a small business and how best to
integrate I.T. solutions in order to make the administration of
the business cost-effective and easy to run and support.
In the meantime, if you are a small business requiring advice or
assistance in setting up a computerised office, please do not
hesitate to contact us using the
Feedback Form
that can be found on the
Contact Us
page.