4 technology tips for starting a new business

Your new business tech checklist

Starting your business journey is an exciting time. There are many steps to starting your new business. A key one is making sure you have the right tools in place to be as productive as possible from the outset.

Whether you’re an accountant or architect, a surveyor or a sparky, you’ll have your favoured tools of the trade. There are also essential tech tools every new business owner should consider adding to their toolkit. This guide covers the key technologies needed to get set up so you can get down to business.

1. Your business phone

You probably already have a mobile phone for personal use. Today’s smartphones can act as an office in your pocket, making it easy to manage your business from your mobile. With the right device and the right apps, you can host video calls, manage emails, take photos and videos for social media, take payments and of course call people.

Is your phone fit for business?

Having the right capabilities on the phone in your pocket can offer flexibility in how and where you work. This can be great if you expect to spend a lot of time on the move, but if you’re using a single device for personal and business, you’ll need some strategies in place to help you keep things balanced. You’ll also need to consider if features such as the screen size and battery life are suitable for what you’ll want to use it for as a new business owner.

Key considerations when choosing a business phone -

• Do you need to upgrade your mobile phone or supplement it with other devices such as tablets or connected laptops, so that you’re sufficiently connected?
• Do you want separate numbers for your personal and business lives? Solutions such as eSIM can enable this for you.
• Do you have the right device security in place to protect your business?
• Does your mobile network provider offer coverage to do business everywhere you need it to,  or do you need to change your mobile plan?
• If you’re starting a business with a team, you might also consider a policy around BYOD (bring your own device) for mobile phones.

2. Connecting your business internet

A reliable internet connection is vital for keeping your business connected and running smoothly. It may underpin many business functions where you’re using online solutions, like communicating with customers, managing your website, accessing business systems or taking payments.

The right internet connection can help you maximise productivity and deliver a great experience for your customers, both important priorities when you start a business. Even if you’re working from a home office, you may still benefit from upgrading to a plan designed for business use.

Do you have a business-ready internet service?

There are important differences between internet plans designed for home use and those designed for business use. The right internet solution for you will depend on your premises, who will need to connect to the internet and what they’ll be accessing the internet for.

Tips to help you choose the best business internet plan

• How will you be using the internet? Is your priority to enable productive work in the office, support front of house, or even give customers access to internet services.
• What type of solutions can you access? Different types of solutions are available at different premises. Check what’s available at your address.
• What speed do you need? Upload and download speeds are important business considerations.
• Do you have a modem, or will you need a new one?  Getting the right modem and setting it up well can make all the difference to your internet experience. Learn more in this guide about modems vs. routers. 
• Will you need any extra features such as a fixed line phone number or a static IP address bundled with your internet service?

3. Choosing the right software and apps

With a huge range of business software and apps on the market it can be hard to know where to start. Some solutions support back of house activities, managing your internal business data and functions. Others are more customer facing, such as your website or payments solution.

What business apps should you add to your collection?

When choosing tech solutions for your business, think about how they’ll help you stay on top of critical operations efficiently and deliver a great customer experience.

Look for solutions with plans that offer essential functions without overwhelming you with too many features to start. It is also important to consider apps that offer potential upgrade paths to ensure your operations can be supported as your business grows.

Key business functions to consider

• What’s the right collaboration solution to underpin how you communicate, manage and share your business data? Learn how you can achieve collaboration in the workplace.
• Does your collaboration solution include integrated features that can help you avoid the need to add lots of individual apps to do specific things?
• What will your approach to customer relationship management (CRM) be and how will it integrate with other functions in your business?
• What tools will you use to market your business online and connect with customers? Will you rely on social media, third party platforms or develop your own website?
• Are digital payments important to your customers and will you need a suitable POS solution? Will it integrate with any accounting software you might be using?

Explore the features of potential tech solutions before committing. You might be able to find different apps that integrate well together in a way that will help you work more efficiently.

A big advantage you have as a new business owner is a clean slate. This means you can automate key aspects of your operations up front to create efficiencies versus having to retrofit old processes.

4. Cyber security protection for your new business

You’re likely already aware of some common types of cyber security threats in your personal life. When you become a business owner, you need to expand your awareness to consider how you’ll protect business and customer data, as well as your personal information.

Discover 3 simple steps to help you protect customer data.

What’s your cyber security plan?

Even a minor cyber security incident can have significant financial impacts on small businesses. An incident can also impact your business continuity and productivity, as well as potentially your reputation. So having a clear cyber security strategy in place to protect your new business is a key part of planning.

Factors to consider when building your cyber security strategy

• How can you educate yourself on cyber security risks relevant to businesses, such as phishing and business email compromise? Learn more about phishing and how to minimise these risks to your business.
• Do you need to undertake cyber security training? The Cyber Wardens program offers free cyber security training to help small businesses which could be helpful.
• Do you have a robust approach to password management or is that something you should review as you set up your various business accounts?
• What cyber security solutions do you have in place already and are they fit for business?
• Have you considered social media where you might be used to sharing personal content, but now need to show up as a business and manage privacy settings appropriately?

Work through key actions that can help ensure you’re getting the basics of cyber security right from the start. This will help protect your business and give you greater peace of mind. Keep reviewing your approach to cyber security as things evolve by staying across the latest trends and advice.

Set your new business technology up with the future in mind

As a new business owner, you have a great opportunity to find trusted suppliers who can help you get set up and then act as part of your extended team when you need support. The team at your local Telstra Business Technology Centre can help you tailor solutions that are right for you.

Explore tech solutions built for business

Free or consumer-grade solutions may seem to offer good value when you’re starting out, but they can be limited in terms of your ability to easily evolve and grow. When choosing tech solutions, consider how they’ll be able to adapt to changes in your business. Look for features such as the ability to handle larger amounts of data, support for additional users, and seamless scalability as your business grows.

Master the tech essentials for future success

The right tech should support you on your business journey from the outset. You might be focused on laying the foundations to help grow your business efficiently, or you might be more concerned with fine tuning how you operate to free up time once your business is up and running. Either way, thinking ahead means you can lay a strong foundation to help with long-term success on your own terms.