Great news for Home businesses…..why does this kind of thing not get reported by the media?
Enterprise Nation claim 90% of home businesses are making expansion plans despite the UKs financial challenges. 57% are planning to extend their product/service and 30% are 
planning to work partnership with other businesses. It may not be a massive figure but 7% plan on hiring extra staff or outsourcing work to help with their growth.
For home businesses it’s important that they don’t simply launch their growth plans without making sure that they have key foundations in place. Even if they’re already in place they should be reviewed to ensure they can cope with the growth – if not make sure they’re changed otherwise they could undermine growth.
Two areas worth considering are data and outsourcing.
Firstly, with data check that the company confidential data is secure and can’t be accessed by the team. Secondly, make sure that it’s being backup up. If an external backup service is being used it’s important to check that the maximum amount allowed is not being exceeded as the extra could be costing a premium.
Outsourcing is a great concept for small businesses and one that the corporate have been using for years. The idea is simple. What areas of your business don’t fall within your core skills and steel time from your main task? The important element is to not jump to the first company offering you a solution. Carefully consider the following:
- What are your requirements?
- What’s important to you?
- What value do you place on the service?
- What ethics and morals are important and expected from the supplier?
- What’s your criteria for selection?
- What do clients of the providers say about them?
- What do you need to make the decision?
Over the coming weeks I’ll be writing about the steps you need to take for backups and what needs to be considered when outsourcing your IT.
If you need any advice then please contact me at david@bgcit.co.uk
Problem free computing will be a reality.
