How to Setup IT Infrastructure of a Startup in Dubai

The IT infrastructure is considered to be the backbone of any business or enterprise not only in Dubai, UAE but all around the world. These days businesses can’t even function without any IT enabled support or system. The IT Infrastructure comprises of all the digital and information technology related solutions and systems including both hardware, software and online components. The startups and small businesses have limited resources, hence whatever they have in hand should perform at the optimum levels to ensure growth and stability. The IT infrastructure enabled a startup or running business to provide IT services and solutions to its employees, customers and the management or stack holders. For example, the company emails comes under IT, the computers and the online website also comes under IT. So IT infrastructure is a bit broader term and we will cover all important aspects in this blog.  Keep reading to learn and understand the IT infrastructure and how to start and what components should you have to kick start.

Plan and Budget Estimation of IT Infrastructure for Startup

To begin with, you should have a plan for your IT infrastructure the most important thing is the budgeting and the needs. It could be hard to consider each and everything at this point of time, but make a list of all your requirements first. Then decide which one can be setup on cloud and which one has to be done in-premises. Here are some key points that you should think of:

1. Make a list of all your needs
2. Consider the possibilities of both Cloud and In-premises Solutions
3. Consider the possibility of outsourcing (especially online components)
4. Plan for the service and maintenance requirements
5. Do cost Estimation for each component individually
6. Search for solution and service providers, analyze and assess them deeply
7. Search for purchase plans/subscriptions for individual items as well as clubbed packages
8. Estimate the maintenance, operational and renewal costs
9. Estimate the scaling and future Expansion costs for each component
10. Compare different service providers, suppliers and vendors

This is the very first and most important step in setting up your IT infrastructure.Sometimes the vendors and suppliers offer very good deals if you opt for a package that includes several components. Sometimes some items are cost-effective and some looks expensive. Ask your vendors and suppliers about the scalability and future expansion cost and terms for each item individually as well as the package or plan.

It is extremely important that each software or hardware component you are acquiring should have ability to scale in future, so rather than replacing the entire solution you should be able to add or remove components as per your needs. This is how you should plan and do cost estimation for IT infrastructure. As startups and small businesses have limited resources so it is very important for them to have cost-efficient solutions which can maximize their operation capabilities and enable them to achieve high profitability and a stable growth.

Cloud-Based IT Infrastructure for a Startup

Basically, the Cloud-Based IT Infrastructure is a bit modern solution for a very older problem. The cloud computing can greatly cut the cost and it also allow more flexible information flow and data access. Cloud computing can offer data storage, software and applications and information flow and all is hosted in online servers. The startup or small business owners and managers might want to get access to the data and information from their home, or while on the move via smartphone or tablet, which is very easy with the cloud computing. All you need is a device with internet access and you can be linked to the company network and you would be able to access everything.

Here are some basic utilities of cloud computing:

1. Storage Service: The cloud computing is very famous for its cost-efficient storage solutions, it allows data sharing and access for the daily operation with extremely easy access modes.
2. Backup or Failsafe Solution: The backup or failsafe solution makes a regular backup of your company’s entire data and protect your data in case of server crash, cyber-attacks and unplanned deletion of the data.
3. Cloud Hosting Service: The cloud hosting service is similar to the regular hosting but with added benefits and it is used for hosting emails, websites, web-applications and online tools.
4. SAAS and PAAS Solutions: The SAAS is software as a service and the PAAS is product as a service, both are almost the same with a few differences. The most popular examples are Salesforce, Quick Books, Office 365, ERPs and Google Apps.

The cloud computing has gained popularity in past few years, earlier it was available but expensive. Later all types and sizes of businesses and enterprises start adopting to cloud computing based platforms and suddenly a lot of vendors jumped in to the market, this increased the competition and we have witnessed a lot of innovative products and solutions with the competitive cost. The cloud computing offers more features at less costs which also lead to rapid adoption of cloud based platforms. Here are some key benefits of cloud based solutions and products:

• Remote Access: Cloud computing allow remote access to software and applications. The business software and applications are usually not commonly used at home, so in typical arrangements these types of tools are installed on company computers. The cloud allow users to access such applications and software from anywhere, it can truly bring your office to your living room.
• High Consistencybetween Employees: Usually more than one employees are working on a single file or project. The cloud store all the files on the internet in a central information center so whatever work is done by any employee will automatically get updated on the file and each employee get the latest version of the file whenever they access it or work on it.
• Simple Data Access and Authentication: Usually the main reason for switching to cloud is to enable high availability and simple access to the data. Any employee or user can access the data from the compatible device with sufficient authority and access credentials.
• Reliable Data Security and Backup: The data security and backup is always the main concern of a business. The company data is like the fuel in the engine, if lost the engine can’t run even for a second. The businesses can easily recover data from the cloud backups in case of a hardware failure, cyber-attach, naturel disaster, etc.
• Higher Redundancy and Availability:The cloud architecture by default offers great redundancy and higher availability comparing to in-premises small networks. Usually the standard availability is 99.99% per annum and the clouds are also optimized to keep on working normally in case of failure of a component or even partial failure.
• Cost Efficient:Setting up in-house or in-premises data center and network requires high initial cost, expertise to keep it operational and physical space to construct it. However, the cloud doesn’t require any of that. The cloud offers both unmanaged and fully managed servers businesses can chose any to optimize their initial and running cost.

These are some of the key benefits of the cloud computing. However, sometimes it is difficult to acquire small plans, the redundancy and the backups are also meant to be purchased separately. Usually businesses running with customized solutions and software require certain control of the server which could be very difficult in case of fully managed clouds. The business will also have to rely on the service provider for support, service and system updates.

In-house or In-premises IT Infrastructure for a Startup

The in-house or in-premises IT infrastructure is the more traditional approach, it means all the network devices, storage devices, servers are physically installed in the business facility. Usually the business who need more control over their networks and data management goes for in-premises IT infrastructure. The in-premises IT infrastructure is very easy to set for startups and small businesses and is not as that expensive either. An entry level server will cost you no more than an ordinary PC. Technically a single entry level server can easily support up to 25 users but ideally 10 users per server is a good setup. Moreover rather than adding more servers, the existing server can be upgraded with added memory and storage to improve the network. The routers, network switches and hubs are also not so expensive.

Here are some basic utilities of in-house or in-premises IT infrastructure:

1. Flexible Storage: The business can have as much storage as they want, they can also easily extend the storage by adding new drives to the server or storage devices and these days network enabled storage solutions are also very cost-efficient.
2. Offline Backups: The business can easily manage and maintain offline backups for their entire company data. The offline backups are more reliable and secure.
3. Easy Hosting Solution: The businesses can easily host any type of application in their in-house or in-premises data centers. As they have no limitation or restriction so they can easily upgrade or downgrade their hosting servers to meet the needs of the customized software and applications.
4. Private Company Network: Businesses often seek to establish private company networks to make sure no one from the outside of the company network can have any access to the data and information. When all data is stored on the in-premises servers the private network can be built easily.

The in-house or in-premises IT infrastructure are very popular among the medium and large size businesses and enterprises. Especially businesses who have very sensitive data have certain security needs the in-premises based IT infrastructure is the best option for them. The technology is evolving rapidly, the consumer level computers and devices have become very powerful. The startups or small businesses can even use consumer level devices too to build their IT infrastructure. But we always advice to use only business level hardware and solutions as eventually when the business will start growing they will have to switch to the business level components. Here are some key benefits of the in-house of in-premises IT Infrastructure:

• Full Control over IT Environment: The business has no restriction to align with the any operating system, or its versions or any such limitation. The business can chose and setup any environment they want as per their needs and requirements.
• Data Security and Protection: The business have full authority and control over the data security and protection, no third party can access your critical data. The private data and sensitive data can be hosted offline to ensure better security and controlled access.
• Easy Scalability: The expansion and scalability is a lot easier and cost-efficient with the in-premises IT infrastructure. Although there would a physical limitation of your data center but usually that is not a problem at all.
• No Need of Internet: Unlike cloud based IT infrastructure the in-house setup doesn’t require internet as all the data is stored and applications are hosted in the local/private company network so internet is not required.
• Quicker and Easier Maintenance:As the entire IT infrastructure is physically approachable by the business or the IT staff, the maintenance and problem fixing is quicker and easier. No need to rely on the service providers or support teams.
• No Annual Subscriptions or Licensing: As the in-premises IT infrastructure is based on purchased components which in most cases are one time purchase so annual subscriptions or licensing is not required. In case of a startup or small business the in-premises IT infrastructure can be very cost effective. The initial and running cost is quit comparable to the cloud computing.

These are some key benefits of the in-house or in-premises IT infrastructure. However usually the initial cost is higher, the business must have sufficient technical staff to keep the network up and running. One or two servers are fine, but for an infrastructure larger than that, proper physical environment such as electrical wiring, air conditioning/ventilation and physical security are must to have. The up-time or recovery-time totally depends upon the infrastructure itself and the IT staff. Sometimes some employees or the higher management requires to access the company data from outside of the premises which requires special networking setups and could be technically difficult for the users.

Hybrid IT Infrastructure for Startup

Hybrid IT infrastructure is the infrastructure which have components from both the cloud based and the in-house or in-premises based IT infrastructure. The main objective for such setup is usually to optimize the cost and improve the efficiency. In that kind of setup the businesses can trade-off certain features of both types of IT infrastructures to achieve more innovative and efficient functionalities. This type of setup is fairly common among all types and sizes of the businesses and organizations, whether it is a startup or a large enterprise both can equally benefits from the hybrid IT infrastructure. For example, any system or application that has to be online can be hosted on cloud and all other systems can be hosted in in-house or in-premises IT infrastructure.

The email servers are usually very hard and costly to maintain in the in-premises environment so it can be moved to cloud, similarly the websites and customer portals can also be moved to the clouds. However the ERPs, HRMS, or other such tools can be hosted to in-premises IT infrastructure to achieve the ultimate security, privacy and data protection levels. The business should have to be creative and should have sound knowledge of both IT infrastructures to form a very cost-efficient and productive hybrid IT infrastructure for their needs.

Users Devices and Peripherals for Startup

No matter either you go with cloud computing, in-premises or hybrid IT infrastructure you will going to need basic user devices and peripherals for your employees. You will have to provide computers, printers, scanners and internet connection to your employees. There is a business practice known as BYOD, or bring your own device. It means the business ask their employees to bring their own laptops, mobiles, etc. The big equipment such as printers, scanners and internet connectivity to local storage is provided by the business. However, it is always in the interest of the business to provide each and every device, even if an employee is permitted to use company mobile connection then the business should not only provide the connection but the mobile phone too. Which should be strictly used for only work related communication. For startups and small businesses where the employees are less than 10 any consumer level network routers and WiFi will work perfectly fine.

But if you have more employees or rely heavily on the internet then only business level branded network routers, switches and WiFi should be used. It is better to have a LAN connection for each PC, this will provide better speed and file sharing on local network but good quality WiFi hubs also works fine. In case of printers and scanners, it is always good to have an all-in-one network enabled printer which have printing, scanning and photo copying facilities all in one. This will save you a lot of cost. As in a small setup all of the employees will be in closer proximity and everyone can reach to the printer, scanner and photo-copier easily. When purchasing user devices the licensing is very important, compare both Windows and Apple systems and then analyze which will be more compatible with the tools and software your employee would run and then take the decision. Local network storages are also required for quicker file sharing between employees, so use network enabled storage devices with SSD for better speed and longer life. Make sure all the important data and files are stored in a backed up storage.

Outsourcing of the IT Infrastructure Components for Startup

Outsourcing could be very beneficial in some cases. It can save cost, efforts and a lot of time. For example in case of the email service, if you want to have an in-premises email server it will going to require a lot of efforts, time and expensive securities to keep it operational. Even in case of cloud based solution in any case whether you acquire a managed email server or an unmanaged email server the cost will be very high. It is always better to outsource your emails. Similarly hosting websites and small web-based applications is also more cost efficient and easy-to-manage when outsourced to a reliable IT service provider such as RSI Concepts. The important thing to understand while outsourcing any component is that the outsourcing company should have a good profile with local clientele and a great track record.

The professional company will not only be more cost effective but it will ensure a hustle free service and will keep you informed of the market trends and updates. It will keep you updated and informed of the information and ideas which otherwise you wouldn’t be able to get exposed to at your own. This will help you competing with others and will also help you in doing improvements.

Acquiring Necessary Tools,Digital Services and Online Components for Startup

There are so many enterprise level tools and systems that could help boosting your operational capabilities as well as work efficiency. However, for a startup or a small business it is not profitable to invest in those top-notched expensive off-the-shelf solutions. When planning for other IT solutions and software such as ERPs, Sales System, Inventory Management System, Customer Loyalty Program, HR System or any such tool, only go for the very necessary tools. It is always better to acquire a customized solution provider and ask them to build you a customized Intranet which can serve you with all your needs. The solution or system has to be an all-in-one system. It should be able to fulfill you all accounts, purchase, sales and customer relationship needs.

Another very essential online component of digital services is the digital marketing and online branding. The website is the basic component of all your online branding activities. When it comes to the websites, you will going to need the domain name, hosting, web designs and development service and occasionally you might be doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media management and paid digital marketing services too. Make sure for all such solutions and services you chose only a single vendor, it will be a lot easier and cost-efficient to manage all these services with a single service provider rather outsourcing them to so many different vendors.

Conclusion

The IT Infrastructure is the backbone of any business small or large. It is literally the foundation at which the entire structure stands on. The rate of businesses going bankrupt on the same year in which they somehow loss their data is increasing day by day. That is why when it comes to the IT infrastructure the business should have to plan it very thoughtfully. In this blog we have listed the details of both in-house or in-premises IT infrastructure and the cloud computing based IT infrastructure. We have also listed another type which is the hybrid IT infrastructure which includes components from both main classes. For a startup or a small business the hybrid IT infrastructure is the best option unless there is a specific need. It all depends upon the needs of the business. The outsourcing is also a great option for certain components. Whenever planning for the IT infrastructure the very important thing to consider is the initial cost and the running cost. In case of in-house or in-premises IT setup the business must have sufficient technical staff to keep the setup operational and running. Each type of IT infrastructure have their own benefits and limitations, think about the benefits and the limitation and then decide which component should be taken from which class and what services and components should be outsourced.

A business also requires essential software tools and user IT equipment. Plan those things with great care. Especially when you are planning to purchase computers and other devices for the employees make sure the platform or operating system you are opting for is also compatible with the rest of the IT infrastructure as well and also take the lifecycle and longevity in account. This guide is to help new startups and small businesses in building cost-effective IT infrastructure which can support them with growth and productivity. The major reason for most failure of new startups or small businesses is that their IT infrastructure is not optimized to enable the employees to work on maximum efficiency. The initial cost and running cost is also a big burden for startups and small businesses. RSI Concepts is a leading name in IT solutions and services providers in Dubai, UAE. Feel free to reach us our through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

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