Virtually every entrepreneur or business guru in the world will tell you about the hard work, grit and determination needed to make your business fly.
While this is unquestionably true, attitude is only one part of a much bigger picture when it comes to expanding your business – and a lot of that picture is taken up by the infrastructure you need to make that growth happen.
For modern businesses, a huge part of that infrastructure is digital. In fact, 97% of new businesses worldwide say they require some element of IT to function properly – so it’s understandable that business growth also requires some IT growth.
Here, we’ll explain which directions you might want to grow your IT system in to maximise your business growth opportunities.
Improving collaboration
There’s got to be some element of working ‘smart’ when it comes to growth – and there’s unlikely to be any smarter tactic than getting an improved result out of the resources you already have.
For many businesses, people are their most valuable resource – and when it comes to maximising productivity and effectiveness, you might think of social events, team building, or Google style offices with social beanbag area – but you’d be wrong.
Improving collaboration is proven to be one of the most effective ways of upping the productivity of your workforce – and there’s a handful of IT tools you can use to make this happen. Tools like Google’s G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 are built with collaboration firmly in mind – each offering a host of real-time team work tools, including in-app instant messaging, in-app voice discussions and shared storage facilities.
Improving collaboration between your workforce is proven to up productivity levels by up to 20% – and the best part is, the people don’t have to be in the same office – in fact, in many cases, people work more fluidly together if their only collaboration is done through the cloud.
Opening new locations
Thinking about opening new locations is unlikely to make you think positively about IT – in fact, IT is often the reason that people stick with old premises, even when their needs suggest that a new location would be advantageous.
Part of the problem relates to internet circuit connection – and when you’re hoping to get one delivered quickly, you’re likely to be disappointed – with many major providers quoting 3-6 month wait times before they can connect you.
So, how can you grow if you’re stuck to an original location? The good news is – internet connection technology is moving on – so now you just don’t have to wait for that connection before you can get moved in. The key is taking your own network connection with you – and that can come in form of a 4G WAN rapid site deployment system.
Essentially, this IT tech employs the humble SIM card to create a robust enterprise level internet connection that requires no wired connection. The key is in the technology that houses the SIMs – that’s right, rather than using one SIM, the specialist routers bond a number of SIMs (often 10+) to create one fast connection.
The result? You growth is no longer constrained by IT – it’s actually enabled by it. Don’t settle for a second best location, find the place that’s right for you – and take your connection with you.
Finding international talent
If people have the potential to bring incredible growth opportunities to your business – what should you do if there’s a talent drought around you?
The answer? Make the whole world your talent pool.
Even if freelance or contract staff are based on the other side of the world, cloud working can bring them into your office simply – albeit virtually. The idea behind cloud computing is fairly simple – instead of holding the software and infrastructure needed to make your IT work on-site, it’s all held online – and simply accessed at your site.
The resulting network allows for your new recruit to be based thousands of miles away – but offering just the same level of accessibility and collaboration as if they were sitting next to you. With the right IT, geography won’t hold your growth back.
Work with temporary locations
Utilising 4G WAN has benefits beyond simply opening new locations quickly – it can have you set up in temporary locations much more quickly than has traditionally been possible.
Being able to access temporary locations like this means the following opportunities are more feasible:
- Showing your products and services at shows and expos
- Setting up work locations on client sites
- Putting temporary locations in place on construction/unfinished sites
- Maximising pop-up retail opportunities
…and many more.
Security has never been under the spotlight more than it is now – so setting up a temporary location needs to be done safely, securely and quickly – another ideal application for 4G WAN.
Use the best software
Growth often involves putting new systems into place – and if you want to make sure those systems are fit for purpose, it will often mean finding specialist software that helps you deliver the most efficient end-user experience.
Where the idea of new software once meant spending a huge amount of money on licences and installations – it’s now quite different. Major tech providers like Microsoft and Google now recognize a need for software as a service (SaaS) – essentially giving small businesses the opportunity to buy their software on a subscription basis – paying for only what they need and getting adequate SaaS deals.
This opportunity has been unlocked by continual improvements in cloud computing – so now, instead of installing applications on your machines, your PCs become work stations, through which you can access the latest versions of software at all times – with that software being hosted on the servers of the application providers.
In truth, the day-to-day use of the software is very similar, whether you’ve bought a licence upfront – or you’re accessing as a service – but the price isn’t. Microsoft’s Office 365 products are a fraction of the cost of a full installation each month – allowing you to focus your hard-earned finances in other areas that will help to drive business growth.
