Early on, startups should prioritize infrastructure that scales, resilient networking to support productivity, cybersecurity that protects growth. Device lifecycle management that increases efficiency and improves the user experience. By getting technology right in the beginning, founders can avoid temporary solutions that need to be reworked later.

For many founders, the same challenges that arise at startup continue to create issues as companies grow. Without IT expertise — and lacking the resources to hire qualified technical and cybersecurity employees — founders may be overwhelmed by the complexity of IT solutions. Partnering with an expert is often the most efficient, cost-effective way to build a scalable foundation that drives business outcomes. Partners can also help startups control their cash burn and make smarter decisions about technology investments.

The right technologies deliver capabilities that support growth: cost control, productivity, reduced technical debt and risk management. By establishing these foundations early, founders can protect themselves from outcomes that can hamper growth, including cybersecurity incidents, cloud sprawl, unreliable networks and unwieldy device programs.

ESTABLISH CLOUD STRATEGY: Cloud solutions offer the flexibility, scalability and low cost of entry that startups need. But cloud infrastructure isn’t set-it-and-forget-it; startups must manage workloads, optimize costs and handle their share of cybersecurity under the public cloud’s shared responsibility model.

Founders should establish policies for Software as a Service, such as requiring prior approval of new tools and defining which data employees can upload to the cloud. As early-stage companies move quickly, founders can easily lose control and visibility over SaaS tools in the environment. That can lead to costly sprawl, fragmented workflows and shadow IT that creates security risks. A clear cloud strategy helps founders avoid these pitfalls and the operational headaches that accompany accelerated growth in an undisciplined environment.

OPTIMIZE CONNECTIVITY: Secure, reliable networking is the backbone of a successful startup, yet many founders overlook scalability needs as they grow. Startups often choose cloud-based networking to avoid on-premises hardware costs, but founders should periodically revisit their network strategy to meet today’s needs and support tomorrow’s growth. A future-ready network avoids bottlenecks and supports hybrid teams, especially as operations and locations expand.

From a cybersecurity perspective, startups need visible, controllable networks and tools that enforce security policies. For example, next-generation firewalls can defend against advanced threats and offer important security features such as network segmentation. Experts in networking for startups can help founders tailor their solutions to a specific environment, ensuring that networks serve to maximize productivity, collaboration and performance.

PRIORITIZE SECURITY EARLY: Startups must build security into their operations from day one or risk creating ripples that ultimately affect growth and profitability. Breaches are expensive and damaging, especially for startups that lack the reserves and overall resilience to sustain the operational disruption, costs and reputational damage. Insufficient backup and recovery capabilities can lead to the loss of critical data and investor confidence.

Founders should implement core controls early, including MFA, strong identity and access management, reliable backups and clear incident response plans. By prioritizing security from the start, founders ensure that these critical protections don’t get overlooked as ramp-up speeds increase and startup teams focus on other aspects of the business.

SIMPLIFY DEVICE PROCESSES: As companies grow, DaaS partners makes it easy to onboard new employees by handling all aspects of device lifecycle management: procurement, configuration and deployment, security updates, software licensing, troubleshooting and asset disposal. Outsourcing these functions can enhance overall operations and allow founders to focus on growth.

Moreover, partners can often negotiate cost-effective licensing and recommend solutions and services to simplify management, especially for startups lacking IT staff. DaaS partners can be especially helpful for remote employees, issuing branded, ready-to-use devices quickly and ensuring that new hires’ device onboarding is seamless and efficient. DaaS partners can also ensure devices are properly protected, which is essential for preventing threat actors from leveraging a nonsecure device to gain access to the network.

Short-term technology fixes often become long-term headaches. Partnering with the right adviser helps startups sidestep costly mistakes and focus on innovation.

SHORT-TERM THINKING: Many founders are pursuing either long-term ownership or an acquisition. Both objectives benefit from early, strategic planning about IT investments and best practices. For instance, a company or investor looking to acquire an early-stage company will want to know that its leaders have established proper cloud and security hygiene and, if relevant, complied with applicable regulatory requirements.

Founders who tolerate short-term solutions often create future pain points. These sources of friction can inhibit growth — for example, requiring excessive manual work to manage and troubleshoot devices. When poorly planned and managed technology starts to inhibit growth, rather than facilitate it, founders often end up serving as the de facto IT manager or tasking another employee who lacks expertise to do so.

MISMANAGED DEVICE FLEETS: Many startups have bring-your-own-device policies, often to give employees choices about their technology. However, juggling multiple devices, software programs and OSs can quickly become unmanageable. When a startup lacks an IT team, the problems can compound because nontechnical employees are then responsible for troubleshooting, updating software, performing security patches on time and other critical tasks. That can lead to labor-intensive workflows and, more important, a lack of adequate protection.

These challenges have grown in the era of remote work. More than half of SMB leaders say that securing access for remote work and managing work data on employees’ personal devices are among their top challenges. Mismanaged fleets can also be more costly because companies miss out on opportunities for device and licensing discounts that DaaS partners can provide.

CYBERSECURITY RISKS: Inadequate cybersecurity poses risks that can threaten growth, including the financial costs of a breach, reputational damage and loss of investor confidence. However, a survey of SMBs found that only 1 in 5 has effectively implemented best practices such as MFA, strong passwords and incident response plans. In addition, some founders assume they are too small to be targeted, but in fact, threat actors may target early-stage companies because of their security gaps and vulnerabilities.

Founders may also underestimate the importance of configuring networks to limit the damage if an attack does occur. Because startups lack the resilience of more established companies, they also need solid backup and recovery capabilities to ensure they can recover from an attack quickly.

CLOUD SPRAWL AND COSTS: Public clouds often make sense for startups, but they can easily lead to overconsumption and lack of visibility without the proper tools and policies. In addition, many startups lack a streamlined approach to their cloud infrastructure because employees hold multiple roles and work independently to ramp up operations. Without holistic oversight and coordination, companies may miss out on opportunities to prevent costly duplications and consolidate services to qualify for discounts.

Startups may also overlook the value of cloud management tools that help founders understand what they are paying for and who has assigned what. CDW’s cloud assessment services and tools — including Inscape, a cloud management platform — can help leaders control their cloud usage to prevent costly and poorly managed sprawl.

LIMITED IT RESEARCH: Nearly 70% of SMB leaders seek recommendations from IT consultants and security experts when choosing cybersecurity solutions. However, many founders make other technology decisions without sufficient research into available options. Talking to startup peers and SMB leaders about their technology solutions and services can help founders identify partners who are familiar with startups’ needs and challenges. Employees, directors and investors can also be useful sources of information as founders develop their technology strategies and build these teams. Finally, expert partners can shorten the learning curve considerably, providing insight into strategies that have worked for other startups and a nuanced understanding of government, healthcare, financial services and other unique markets.