smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

In association with Rackspace

As the global economy staggers from crisis to crisis small businesses face the dilemma of having to control costs while also ensuring they remain competitive.

At times like this there can be a temptation to skimp on technology solutions, however, these are part of the life-blood that keeps businesses running. The challenge faced by small businesses is how to invest sensibly, while also being efficient and cost-effective.

A presence on the web enables small businesses to compete with larger companies whcih have larger marketing budgets. Online small businesses can 'punch above their weight', meaning a small business can have big reach, providing the web site is always available.

Creating and managing any technology solution can be a major challenge for small businesses. For instance, companies will spend money on designing and optimising a website. However, if the website fails then it is not only awareness of the company which may be lost but also orders.

The decision on how to host the site is very important. Hosting it in-house may appear to be a low cost solution, but companies must consider the capital outlay for hardware, plus the need to have technical skills available to provide support as well as the specialist security expertise which is vital for a company doing business online.

Business Link, the advice and support service agency, points out in a report that when businesses have a web site 'considerable resources are required to handle the ongoing development and support activities'. It adds that this solution may be best suited to those businesses with specialist IT departments.

Entrusting this to a hosting provider removes the enormous burden of having to worry about whether your website is online when you need it to be and that it is secure.
If a business decides to go down the hosting route, it must select a partner who can deliver. Businesses need to be confident that their hosting provider can guarantee 100 per cent network uptime for the website and 24/7 support to get it back up and running as soon as possible if hardware fails, and the knowledge to help advise them on how to develop their offering as, hopefully the business grows.

In tough times companies need to focus on their core activities and be ruthless in selecting a partner who will handle this absolutely critical role of keeping the business online, responsive to market and customer demands and ultimately, profitable.

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