Establishing Your Network: Do You Have The Right Services For Your Small Startup?

The network is the lifeblood of many small startups today. Sharing information, collaborating with team members, securing data and determining access levels are all considerations for planning a network. If in the beginning stages, the business doesn’t get everything right, there can be serious security, collaboration and scalability considerations in the initial stages. Most network decisions will depend on the size, nature, and industry of your startup—there isn’t a standard network plan for every business. If you are in the midst of acquiring network services for your small startup, there are a few things you should consider before you sign any contracts or hand over your money. 

Does your business need the cloud?

Many companies are on the fence about their data and cloud storage needs. When there are many people working together on a project or if people will be working from different locations, your business may benefit from the cloud. Business owners may consider the cloud after evaluating what would happen if data was lost, damaged, or deleted. Will you need rapid data recovery? Or will your office only need a few physical devices to run the business? Cloud storage minimizes business interruption and can be scaled to meet the budget or storage needs of a business. Businesses with security needs may consult with a storage provider to discuss security requirements for their business.

How do you determine data storage needs?

Data storage needs vary from business to business. New laws enforcing compliance standards in certain fields can dictate storage needs. Other businesses needs like growth and the types of applications used on the various servers can determine the storage requirements for a business. Companies have a number of onsite and offsite storage solutions available to them. Age, volume, application needs, data hygiene, accessibility and internal IT resources can all affect data storage requirements. The location of the data and security are additional considerations that must also be evaluated in order to accurately determine data storage needs. While you might not need major data storage in when the business first starts out, you want to have a network that can adapt to company growth so you don’t have to switch services every time your business experiences substantial growth.

What are your networking needs?

Networking needs can be determined by a variety of factors. We live in an age of technology, so even if you don’t run a tech-based company, you’ll still need a strong network that works for your business. When choosing a network to support your business processes, you must consider the details of the day-to-day work your business is doing. Here are a few factors that will determine your networking needs:

- Consider the scalability: how easy is it to expand the network to meet the application and database support needs?  

- Streamlining ability: what is the square footage of your location? What are the overall costs associated with expansion?

- Connectivity: how many external connections will be needed? Where is Internet accessibility necessary?

- Do you need consistent access to client information?

- How many databases will be supported on the network?

Planning a network, determining data requirements, and exploring cloud options will require you to do your own research regarding your needs and the types of networks you would like to work with. The organizational structure, applications, data and compliance requirements, and future needs should always be carefully planned during the initial stages to minimize security, reliability and compliance challenges. The information for this article was provided by the professionals at MapADataCenter.com who help business owners find the right network for their business needs.