As a managed Services company we occasionally get calls from new entreprenurs looking to get their company setup with technology. As the founder of Capstan Services I have been through this process and I have also helped a number of other’s navigate the process. The process can seem confusing and complex. Rest assured that it’s not as complicated as it may seem and in this article I hope to help your startup company to be successful in meeting your technology needs.
Do I need a Managed Services Provider (MSP)?
I would love to make this article a sales pitch for our services. I believe that Capstan Services provides the best services in the industry. However, it’s unlikely that you need our services if you are just getting started. Managed Services and other IT services are generally required by companies as they grow. We generally see that a company will need a service provider when they grow to somewhere between 5 and 9 employees. If you are not panning to start your company with a lot of employee’s you can likely get started on your own and this article should give you the tools to get your company started without any outside help. In return, please call us when you grow and need our help!
Instead of hiring an MSP, I would suggest that you setup most of the services you need yourself. If you need help hire a consultant to help with the tasks you need help with. I will suggest you call Capstan for your needs but there are plenty of other consultants that can help you get started. Just be careful not to get sucked into a managed services plan that you don’t need and don’t let them catch you in any of the pitfalls I will describe in this article. If you think you may be getting sold more services than you need we are happy to review your needs and help you to avoid any pitfalls.
How to get started
In this series we will walk you through the basics of getting your business started. As with many parts of a new business you will need to learn a little about getting your technology setup. In return you will save money and navigate around many of the pitfalls that small businesses often hit when they start out. Sadly many of these pitfalls end up costing a lot down the road as the business grows. We will point out these pitfalls throughout the series in order to make sure you don’t miss them.
We will cover the following areas in this series:
Setting up email and buying office software
Business Phones
Purchasing Computers
Buying an Internet Connection
Setting up a network
This may seem like a lot. It can be if you are setting up a large company. If you are a small startup it should not be overly complex. We will tackle each of these in a separate article and when you are done with each article you should be ready to begin. Feel free to print out the articles and use them as a reference as you get your business setup.
Getting Help
If you need help we are happy to step in. We hope that this article will guide you through these processes but there may be times you need some help. This is the shameless plug where I say I hope that you will choose Capstan Services and call (469) 312-8100. You can also call another local consultant or MSP. Just be sure to pay for the help you need and not get stuck in a high dollar contract for services that you do not need.