IT Administration for Startup Business and Small Business Database Management

Posted by andrewthompson on April 26th, 2019

Baseline technology administration for startup businesses now largely rely on information technology (IT) services. Irrespective of the industry and the functional area of the business, all require a solid and scalable IT infrastructure to survive. The software, applications, and database will help you to communicate with customers and suppliers, create reports, manage accounts, and connect your business with the outside world through the World Wide Web. More sophisticated businesses of the modern age can use IT to design their products, deliver services, control stocks, and also sell online.

You need not have to be an IT expert to devise and manage the modern technologies, but it obviously helps if you have a basic understanding of the startup business IT needs and the key issues one may come across while managing it.

Basic components of IT

Computers as the primary workhorses of any business now, but there is an increasing range of allied devices are also used now at the workplace. Let's have an overview of these.

–        Personal computers and laptops running on Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Mac OS are the popular choice of businesses.

–        Many businesses also now use mobile devices and applications. Mobile devices range from smartphones to tablets, which offer instant access to applications to anyone from anywhere. It will keep the team always in contact.

–        Mobile applications are replacing desktop software and services by being more flexible.

–        Many organizations are now cutting down cost by operating in a BYOD (‘bring your own device) model by allowing their staff to use their devices at the office too.

–        To enable workplace IT infrastructure for the employees, it is also important to implement necessary accessories like keyboards, monitors, mice, printer, etc.

–        The system capabilities need to be decided based on the software applications and cloud services you use.

It is possible to save on running cost also if you give it a keen consideration while setting up startup IT infrastructure. Say for example,

–        Inkjet printers are good to print quality photos, but these may be much more expensive if the need to print high-quality photos is not so frequent.

–        Any business may require photocopier and a scanner. There are all-in-one devices available at a lower price, which can effectively take up the printing, copying, and scanning tasks with a single unit.

–        Many businesses may also require specialized technology like the POS machines at a retailer or a PIN reader for card payments etc.

Communication and integration to make it more functional.

–        You may need to subscribe to a fast internet connection and also set up an internal network.

–        The systems which share the same data can be deployed more efficiently. Say for example, if the sales information can be integrated with your accounting software, the workflow gets smoothened, and you can save a lot of time and effort also on this.

–        Ensure that your IT systems are compatible with that of your suppliers and vendors. With this, you can produce files and reports which can be linked to those of others online, which helps to speed up the transactions.

–        Technologies like VoIP (Voice over IP) for telephony are so useful for business, which enables communication using the internet as a cost-effective alternative to traditional phones.

Small business database management

Data is the most valuable asset for businesses of any sizes. When it comes to startup and small business, it is essential to set up a well-structured database system to store and retrieve data appropriately. The volume of data may range from a few lines to huge data lakes saved on corporate DBMS.

A good database system will help consistently organize your business information and also make it accessible to all. There are different ways to accomplish it from choosing a desktop database management system to hiring a reliable database management service as offered by RemoteDBA.com.

–        Desktop database management for small businesses

Desktop database applications are very common to consider for single-user small business databases. These databases usually don't interact with web applications. They tend to be simple and inexpensive. For individuals and small businesses, it may be a good database solution to keep inventory, customer tracking, etc.

–        Dedicated server-based business database systems

Server database could be a bigger commitment at a bigger cost. However, this is essential in terms of planning big volume database management as e-commerce businesses or with multiple people accessing the databases. Server databases are designed to work well on high-capacity servers and not personal computers.

–        Web-based databases for web pages

Web-based databases use the data you already stored to create a website, which is slightly different from the other general database solutions. The database-driven web pages of small business can ensure more flexibility and a dynamic webpage with easy access to data.

Now there are cloud-based database management solutions also available, and there is a hybrid model also which effectively incorporates server-based and cloud database solutions. Whichever database management solution you choose, the two golden roles to be kept in mind are:

–        Always consider a database solution which allows enough room for the future growth of the business.

–        Never choose database software solely on its price, but for its functionality matching to your needs.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is considered to be the future of information technology, which is now largely replacing traditional software applications. Cloud may help you to run more flexible and cost-effective IT systems. Higher-end cloud services can be easily accessed by 9users over the internet. The major advantages off moving to the cloud are:

–        There is no need to installing any software to your computer or to log on to a specific machine.

–        Usually, cloud services charge a monthly fee or pay as you use the facility.

–        Cloud services are much cheaper in terms of upfront costs; however, the overall costs needed to be worked out based on the customized needs of the users.

–        Unlike traditional IT infrastructure management, cloud services are not tied to any hardware infrastructure, so you need not have to access it from any particular machines or location.

–        Cloud services are scalable, so you can increase or decrease the needed services anytime and can enjoy more flexibility in terms of cost too.

Apart from these core components, startup businesses also need to consider your network administration, online resources including websites, blogs, digital marketing initiatives as SEO, SEM, SMM, content development, etc. to ensure enough technology back up to succeed in the highly competitive business markets.