The type and size of IT infrastructure a business requires is hugely dependent on the size and nature of that business but what is not in doubt is that EVERY business requires some sort of information technology in order to operate. Sourcing and setting up an IT infrastructure that does what you need it to do is not straightforward, however.

The secret is in the planning, in deciding exactly what hardware, software, networking and security you need in order to achieve your goals, well ahead of purchasing and installation.

As an example, a medium sized business, selling office products via the internet and through mail order and with a staff of around 25 people in various roles will have very specific IT requirements and IT support needs.

Top level management will require either desktop or laptop computers with internet access, email and the company’s store of information as a bare minimum. The same applies to middle management. Administration will require terminals with access to at least the company database of orders, stock, ordering facilities and accounts, which will require a secure server and networking throughout the premises.

Warehouse staff will require access to orders, stock control and other relevant information to allow them to go about their daily jobs.

All of this will need to be networked up, usually to a central secure server and with the necessary software to provide access dependent on level and, of course, security and anti-virus software.

Then there are printers, faxes, scanners, mobile telephones, PDAs and possibly even projectors to consider. And after that there is the ongoing IT maintenance and support to consider.

It can be a major project to get a business up and running in an IT sense, to ensure that infrastructure is procured, installed and maintained properly and to recover from any potential disaster down the line.

That is why there are specialist IT companies that can be employed to work with a business, guaranteeing that their requirements are met at the lowest possible cost yet the highest standard.

Perhaps more importantly though is the fact that these companies can provide ongoing IT support and if they were the company that sourced and installed the network, they will know it inside out, reducing downtime to a minimum and guarding against potential disaster and data loss.

How to find these companies? Well, as you might expect, they quite prominent online, so a search for “IT Support North West”, for example, will give you a list of companies in the North West area providing exactly the services you need.

It is always best, however, to do a little research into a company to find out about their reputation and what their existing clients think of them. Any company confident in its expertise and ability should have no problem giving you the contact details of a few willing clients to talk to and you can, of course, approach them yourself.

IT infrastructure and support is a vital part of a business’ potential success and managing directors and CEOs alike would do well to recognise that!

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Efuse, specialists in IT solutions and technical support.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: it support, it companies, it maintenance, business it