Information Technology is changing the Way Small Businesses Operate

Businesses, both big and small now days, rely heavily on information and technology to operate on a daily basis. Every office space is filled with computers, printers, Internet facilities and other kinds of online file storage systems. Technology has been influencing businesses across various industries, and it has the potential to affect the operations of a small business for the good or bad, depending finely on how the business intends to use it in the development and growing phase.

Products used, and how the employees adapt to new innovations of technology will decide how information and technology will change the way the small business operates. Advancement of computers and communication technology has brought about a sky change in how small scale businesses operate now (and would a few years back). This changing model has also brought about a significant change in the turnaround time for a small business to grow. Let’s go through a few benefits of information and technology and how these have changed the ways small businesses are operating. 

Internet

Followed by the advancement of computers, Internet has been the biggest game changer. Internet courtesy its connectivity options has brought the small business in direct competition with the large scale marketers given that both share a same amount of market reach now. With the help of all kinds of audio, video and graphic software, even small business can compete with the bigger ones; with professional and cost-effective marketing materials with can be spread around the global audience online.

Time management and convenience

No place is too far with technology. You can be sitting in New York and holding a video conference with someone across the globe in Tokyo – such is the magnificence of technology, it has made the entire world one global village. For small businesses time is money because all the time saved means time to acquire more business, and more business means more profits. Information and technology with all its useful tools gives an entrepreneur time from administrative minutiae which can be used in more productive activities.

Online Presence

Whether you are a domestic business or one with international perspective, a presence online is a must for you. This not only gives convenience to you to attract a wide range of customers but also makes it real easy for the customers to locate you.

Information and technology also gives an option for various merchants including apparels, crafts, designers, jewelers etc (to name a few) to set up their own online stores and sell to a global audience with minimum investment.

These few benefits of technology explain how business have really come of age and become more inspiring since the advancement of information and technology. While it’s okay to try and think of some ways to make the best use of Information Technology and it’s applications on your own, you should consider hiring a dedicated IT support or IT consultancy in Singapore. A Professional company with the required expertise and hands-on job experience in the field can help you make cost-effective decisions and also provide the much needed assistance at a time when your IT systems behave erratically.

Technology Decisions that can help Cut Costs and Save Time for Small Businesses

Gone are the days when small businesses had to struggle for many years, strengthen their revenue stream and gather enough capital before they could afford systems & equipment that enhance business performance. The business world of the day is more or less a level playing field now, thanks to the technology that gets cheaper and more useful with each passing day. Informed decisions concerning Information Technology systems and processes can help small businesses in cutting operational costs to an effective degree. Listed below are few important technology decisions that you can make to increase time and cost efficiency.

Install Small Business Servers

With a low cost small business server, small scale companies can now streamline their operations in a neat manner. Yes, it would require some initial investment but the range of benefits are too big to ignore. Even if a business owner has no tech-know-ho, he or she can rely on a professional IT support company to setup and monitor a small business server. A typical small business server configured by a learned server administrator can have email synchronization, automated backups, shared calendar and smooth file sharing facilities.

Outsource IT Related Works

Even if a small business does not run a full-fledged eCommerce portal, it still needs a robust IT system with all required software and applications installed and configured. Owners or managers at small businesses are hardly tech savvy. It’s not even possible for someone with a diploma in computer science or Information Technology to match the quality of service provided by companies that specialize in setting up IT systems, configuring high availability systems or data security. So, instead of hiring a full time system administrator or network engineer, a small business should just hire a dedicated IT support company.

It won’t cost a fortune. Having someone look after setup, monitoring and security of your IT system and digital processes is a necessity and not so much of a luxury as some people tend to believe.

Brainstorm to Come up With Innovative Ideas

Small businesses are agile and it’s one of their greatest strengths. They can respond to their unique needs more quickly and effectively than medium or large scale companies. For example, if you think you need a better way to ensure faster employee communication or a setup to ensure complete security of your wireless network, you can have an expert do that for you. But, it’s you and your employees who’ll have to brainstorm and think of gaps that Information Technology can bridge.

Use Online Tools

If you need to communicate with a far flung vendor, client or supplier, there’s no point spending money on telephone calls or precious time on drafting lengthy emails that take hours to read and often fail to convey the message in its entirety. Use web conferencing instead. On the same lines, you can use online tools for collaboration, accounting, meetings etc. Using these tools can save you a great deal of time and money in the long run. Yes, a small learning curve is involved but if you can learn how to use social networking websites and shopping portals on the web, using intuitively designed tools is not going to a problem.