Startup IT Department Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide to Get You Equipped

An IT department is one of the most important parts of a startup business. Your employees will do the most fundamental tasks in a team, from checking your data for potential threats to managing access to accounts and systems.

While it is necessary, starting an IT department can be hard and complicated. Not only do you need to understand what the goal of your startup is, but you also have to find dependable staff and applicable solutions for your business. Don’t be alarmed, though. Below, you will find the most essential tools and systems for your future IT team.

Management and Communications

Help desk. An IT help desk is the cornerstone of any business. Through this software, your team will be able to receive and manage any technical request, be it from your startup’s employees, business partners, or potential customers. The most common use of a help desk is for internal team management, including software and hardware maintenance, server management, incident and recovery management, administration, and so on.

Project management. Project management software and services cater to workflow organization. Typically, your IT team members will be able to log in and check what tasks they have to finish, what the deadline is, and other specifics. Regardless of whether you all work in one office or remotely, your IT department can also communicate, set new tasks and deadlines, and attach files there. As the one in charge, you can also check the progress of your team on certain projects.

Texting and video conferencing. When it’s time to discuss a new project or ask about a task, team members can communicate through texts and video calls. No matter where each team member is, they can connect to a call in seconds. In most cases, software like this also allows members to share files in the chat if needed. That way, all files can stay in one place.

Security

Password management. While IT workers are professionals who should know everything about data safety, not all of them follow a good password policy. Invest in a reliable password manager for IT teams so your sensitive business data is well-guarded. This software will generate long, complex passwords and store them in the system for you and your IT department, simplifying the password management process.

Identity management. Identity and Access Management (IAM) software is responsible for logging and managing user identities, specifically for employees. Through the IAM software, team leaders can authenticate and authorize other team members, permitting them access to different accounts, services, data, and assets. Identity management ensures that your business information is protected and regulated.

Threat protection. There are a few ways to protect your business from online threats like malware, such as antiviruses. Nowadays, Next-Generation Antivirus, or NGAV for short, is preferred for all kinds of businesses. This technology uses predictive analytics powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect all sorts of attacks.

VPNs. Whether your IT department is working remotely or on-site, you should know what VPN is and how to use one. It’s an essential tool for securing your business data. A good VPN service will protect online communications, file sharing, log-in details, and so much more. When choosing one, make sure it suits your startup preferences and can accompany all members of the IT team. They should be able to connect to a private server from anywhere in the world and access files, software, hardware, and other assets securely.

Documentation and Data Backup

Storage services. Even businesses that operate in old-school offices already adopted the cloud storage technology. These storage services let you save any of your files, from Word documents to photos, in one place. Commonly, this software also backs up any files stored there. As a plus, anyone you grant access to the storage service can view, comment, or edit the files. Several people can work on one file, too, streamlining the workflow.

Offsite servers. To reinforce your data backup, your IT department can use offsite servers. They will carry a copy of your essential information at a different location from your main server. In the past, businesses copied the data on a separate hard drive. Now, you can use cloud servers for data storage.

Your IT Department Is All Set

Starting an IT department for your startup will be complicated, but it is definitely worth it. As you develop your business, you will see how involved your IT team is in every process. Make sure each member is trained and updated on the latest security and business information, and you will be all set!