Want some advice when it comes to technology selection?

You’re not alone. The internet opens up a world of opportunity for businesses, but we can’t all be expected to be ‘tech heads’. The best way to narrow down your choices when it comes to technology selection is to start with a thorough audit of what you will require from your website.

Questions to ask and answer include:

• How will you serve information from your internal system via the web or to a mobile device
• What kind of experience do you want your customers to have
• How can you reduce duplication of data entry
• Do you need to automate processes, if so, which ones
• Do you want to route leads directly to your CRM
• Would your customers like to view inventory and place orders from your site
• What are your closest competitors doing
• How much in house expertise do you have
• How much budget do you have for training staff to manage technology

By mapping out your information architecture, a clear ROI will emerge for your systems.

Keep in mind that your website is operational 24/7. You have no way of controlling when visitors come to your site. It is reasonable to limit online customer support to business hours, but your site must have the technology to run ‘unsupervised’ and offer uninterrupted access, reliability, integration and usability.

Website technology options

The big vendors such as Microsoft, SAP and Apple dominate when it comes to proprietary operating systems however they are not the only choices. You may wish to consider open source options (such as Linux) where you pay no licensing fee, but also don’t get any kind of support or warranties.

When selecting the right operating systems, software platforms and applications, follow these five top priorities. Your technology selection should be:

• Efficient and workable
• Flexible and allow for interoperability
• Easy to maintain, administer and manage
• Cost effective
• Appropriate for your industry and customer

Having a plan for site maintenance and management is important. Factor this in from the beginning, not as an add on. You may wish to employ a system that needs a minimum level of IT skills to administer. But it is likely you will still require external expertise from time to time.

Extra technology

Other technology solutions you will need to consider include:

• eCommerce
• Security
• Back up and data storage
• Cloud computing
• ERP
• Communications and data base management

Again, there are many options available that range in functionality and price. Your requirements must be established up front so you don’t waste time on systems that do not integrate well.

iQuantum assists our clients to navigate through the maze of IT options, to find the appropriate software solutions to meet the goals of the business.  When you talk to a vendor, they have a vested interest so speak to us first and establish your priorities and plan.