Every business wants to have all the necessary IT tools for their business to grow. With technology constantly changing and evolving though it can be challenging to keep up with the essential IT software and equipment you need.
There are numerous types of IT equipment out there, and sometimes it can be confusing to identify what you do and don't need for your business goals. In this blog article, we'll assist you with identifying the essential IT tools to set the foundation of your organization's technological success.
What Tools Are Essential for Small Businesses?
Often, small, medium, and even large businesses use similar equipment. The typical differences between what companies need have to do with their facility size, number of employees, and overall, what functions of the business require technology. To determine, a few questions need to be answered:
- How much space does the company have that needs to be accommodated?
- Where are the employees working throughout the day?
- What tasks do these employees perform?
- What sort of service is the business expecting?
- How many access points are going to provide the appropriate service?
From an IT perspective, many considerations and limitations must be evaluated to ultimately determine what type of equipment and software best fits the needs of a business. However, for small businesses, there are a few basic building blocks of software/equipment that are essential for the organization to thrive and not run into any issues:
Firewalls
Every business needs a gatekeeper to its networks. That's the job that firewalls provide. A firewall ensures that your business' operating system is monitored and rejects unwanted sources or traffic. With cyber-attacks on the rise with small businesses, it's crucial to ensure your networks and operating systems have essential monitoring tools.
What size of firewall you choose for your business is also an important factor to consider. The size of the firewall a business needs depends on the company's internet speed. If you're a smaller business, you want to make sure you don't use a model that's too large that you won't utilize. There are models to fit the firewall size necessary for your business. Make sure you understand the needs of your business and what best accommodates them.
Network Switch
Network switches are small hardware devices that centralize communications among several devices connected to a primary local network. It acts as a bridge to forward data to destination devices. It unites all devices into a central computer network. This ensures easy access for all employees and users of a business's network to have easy connections and a primary data system for everything related to the company and everyday tasks.
Like firewalls, there are different sizes and types of network switches based on the business's needs and functions. There are even smart switches for businesses who wish to have remote access and management. Smart switches are designed for customers needing high performance needs and easy local management. By having network switches that are flexible to the needs of a business, its easy and efficient to to bridge the gap between data and devices.
When installing network switches, it’s important to get an idea of how many users there are, how many devices are connected to the network, how many specific types of devices there are, and how many printers or PCs are being used. These factors are examined to determine the number of ports required for the network switch, and to ensure the network switches will connect easily with all devices in the business.
Wireless Access Points
Wireless access points are just as they sound. They allow users of Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. It's a networking hardware device that allows easy, secure connection and communication in a business without worrying about wires and cables. With these access points, a company evaluates a variety of factors. How many people are expected to utilize it? What will it be used for, and what areas need full access? A business can even define whether they would like to provide guests with wireless access or if they would only like their daily users to be able to use it. There is also the option of choosing between a consumer grade Wi-Fi router or an enterprise model.
A consumer grade Wi-Fi router could be a good fit for a small business simply looking to utilize their Wi-Fi for web-browsing and content streaming. Especially if your business is on a budget, a consumer router could be a more affordable option. However, consumer grade routers typically lack the management, services, reliability, and security that enterprise models can offer. Enterprise model routers are known to host more useful features and management, although they are a bit more pricey. But in the end, enterprise models are more reliable in terms of longevity, security, and support due to the higher quality they tend to exhibit.
Features such as strong encryptions, secure WPA passwords, separate guest networks, and VPNs can be included with enterprise model routers to ensure stronger security. As with any IT device, a device is as secure as you make it. If you take the proper precautions and pay attention to the security features, you can create hardy wireless access points to protect your network and vulnerable information.
Cloud Data Storage
Rather than wasting time and money on a server, smaller businesses can benefit from utilizing the Cloud. Whereas larger firms typically require servers due to using multiple office applications, smaller companies typically don’t have these same needs for storage. The Cloud is a perfect tool for storage needs without requiring a physical server in the office. There's no need to clear a specific space in the office for it, no need for upgrades, or any need for concern if it breaks. If there's an issue, someone else will fix it and there is always redundancy, and it will not take up any of your time or space.
Usherwood Can Provide a Multitude of Business Tools
As a managed service provider, Usherwood carries numerous tools essential to any business’s success. We can provide clients with firewalls, network switches, wireless access points, and cloud data storage, but also so much more. Usherwood can also assist with installing workstations, video conferencing systems, voice systems, fax, security, surveillance, etc.; we carry a wide variety of technologies that can be beneficial for your business.
Every Business Need is Different
Every business and organization are unique in what tools they need to make their business successful. Even if all companies use essentially the same types of devices, there are multiple models and makes of these tools that fit needs and goals. Many factors behind the scenes contribute to what makes a business IT infrastructure work.
Usherwood specializes in helping businesses with figuring out and planning what tools are the best fit for their daily tasks. If you’re interested in finding out more about your business’ IT needs, fill out our Get a Tech Evaluation form to learn more.
