Startups face massive challenges. IT strategy is a significant part that quickly turns into a problem. While startups have access to the latest technology, they don’t have the right guidance to execute it. These IT strategy challenges ultimately lead to failure.

Today, startups use technology to their advantage. They are not stuck in using legacy systems. Therefore, they have better opportunities to innovate. However, if they are not careful, their technology easily becomes a challenge. 

IT strategy challenges and opportunities abound in startups. Many believe that technology will take them to great heights. But founders often forget that technology is not everything – they need expertise and guidance. That’s when IT consulting services come into the picture. 

IT consultants assist startups in multiple ways. They evaluate the existing IT strategy and offer improvements. They provide a blueprint on how to best use the technology. IT consulting firms often bring startups to life that are on the verge of extinction. 

Let’s look at the top IT strategy challenges that startups face and how to overcome them.

Read More: 7 Reasons to Hire a Professional IT Consulting Company

Startup IT Strategy Challenges and Solutions

IT strategy involves a lot of factors. Which technology to use? How to execute it? Is there a need to update existing systems or replace them? All these questions lead to challenges that require proper solutions.

Here are some of the top IT strategy challenges companies face in their early stages and how to overcome them – 

  1. Inability to Decide the Technology Stack: A technology stack is a big part of a startup’s IT strategy. There are hundreds of technology options to achieve the same outcome. However, often technology-based IT strategy challenges of a business comprise indecision.

    Solution – Startups can find previous IT strategy challenges examples that found solutions through multiple technologies. However, it is not necessary that every technology will work for all. The solution is to consider the cost, complexity, and functionality of the product. Hiring an IT consulting company also helps as they evaluate the requirement and provide the best tech stack for product engineering.
  1. Problems with Scaling and Acceleration: Many startups create products in a hurry. Their focus is to launch the prototype as soon as possible. However, they don’t give too much thought to the software or application architecture. They leave limited scope for scaling.

    Solution – IT strategy challenges examples show that startups should consider scaling from day 1. An application that handles 100 users should have the capability to handle 1000 users as well. The design of the architecture should be such that it can easily scale. More computing power and storage capacity should be at their beck and call when there is a need for scaling.
  1. Failure to Maintain a Secure Deployment Environment: Poor cybersecurity has cost billions of dollars to startups worldwide. A cyberattack can cripple a startup’s operations in the initial stages. One of the biggest IT strategy challenges for startups is their inability to focus on creating a secure technology environment.

    Solution –  A secure IT ecosystem centering around cloud security, email security, data and device security, and Managed IT security is essential. Network security should be central to software deployment. Startups should invest in hiring a cybersecurity firm to assess the pan points and secure the deployment environment.
  1. Having an Average and Ineffective Company Website: The IT strategy challenges business development teams face at startups are immense. One of them is having nothing to show to clients. An IT strategy is useless if there’s nothing that the clients can trust. A website is a front door to a startup – and if it isn’t there, it becomes difficult to enter.

    Solution – The startup should host a website in the public cloud. It offers security and more computing power if traffic multiplies. Building a website provides reliability about the startup’s products and services.
  1. Choosing to Develop In-House rather than Outsource: Many startups feel that hiring an in-house team will be more cost-effective and feasible. However, they quickly face the challenge of inaccessibility of talent, long-term costs, and haphazard development. They hire average developers who can just about complete the tasks.

    Solution – Outsourcing to a software development company makes sense because they have the right experience and expertise. In-house developers require continuous guidance. An outsourcing partner knows what to do and how to do it. They have the right people for the job. In the long run, outsourcing saves a lot of time, money, and effort.
  1. Challenges with Updates and Maintenance: One of the biggest IT strategy challenges engineering teams face is never updating the product. In terms of product, it is important to update the technology stack as well. Startups that stick to one technology or release go out of business more often than not.

    Solution – The strategy should lay out the plan for regular updates. Entrepreneurs, tech leads, and project managers should ensure that they update the product to match the customer’s needs. Updating the technology is essential as well. It helps to tackle cybersecurity issues and stay relevant in the market.
  1. Thinking They can do IT All by Themselves: Even startups that acquire heavy funding cannot do it all by themselves. Founders need to focus on the business plan and the proper execution of everything. If there are tech founders, they can’t do everything by themselves. They either get stuck in coding or marketing – leading to disastrous results.

    Solution – Hiring an IT consulting company is a great piece of advice for every startup. The company provides a blueprint for what to do with the IT department. They assess, evaluate, and modify the plan. They take up the activities that free the entrepreneurs to focus on the more important ones.

Wrapping Up

IT strategy is a crucial part of any startup’s operations. Without a proper strategy, the startup may face failure. By identifying the right technologies, hiring the right people, and trusting them to do the right things, a startup can save themselves a lot of trouble. They can overcome the IT strategy challenges and get on the road to success.

Technology consulting requires experts who have done it before. BoTree Technologies is a leading enterprise software development company that assists startups with their IT strategy development and technology needs. Contact us today to get started on your IT strategy project within the next 24 hours.