Technology can make or break your business. From the equipment used in your office to the software installed on each device, the choice you make now will inevitably affect the way your business grows.
To save yourself any unforeseen issues, most entrepreneurs advise you map your plan out and ask yourself those hard-hitting tech questions: Purchase software or code for yourself? Should I trust the cloud? Yes, the list can go on and on.
Here, American Express Open Forum details five critical tech questions to ask your startup:
Buy software or code your own?
The software you use to run your startup is extremely important.
Owner of r-Squared Computing Louis Rosas-Guyon advises entrepreneurs not to reinvent the wheel. There’s a great deal of business software in existence; it’s just a matter of finding the perfect fit.
“I always encourage startups to look for out-of-the box software solutions,†says Rosas-Guyon.
Ron Rule, vice president of e-commerce at Infusion Brands and a business technology adviser, agrees, noting that code ownership is “overrated.†He says that the decision a startup makes today will undoubtedly impact the way the business is run in the future. Hence, going with software is the best choice for startups.
“Someone who understands the platform better than you do will be the one maintaining it if it fails,†he says.