Hardware
Shiv Tailor,
Providing your employees with the right equipment isn't just about enabling them to do their job. Hardware is the most tangible physical embodiment of your company — doing it well will boost your hiring, retention, culture and brand.
Shiv Tailor,
Worldwide IT Spending Forecast
Hardware
as a service
90 percent
What kind of equipment
should you be looking for?
For example, a HR manager who uses a few in-browser apps may not need as much RAM in their computer as a designer who works with large files and heavy on-device software.
£1.3b
annual productivity wasted by US businesses due to obsolete technology
Key considerations for your hardware
Upgrades
Mobile workstations
Usage monitoring
Remote management
Inventory
Support
Connected devices
Proactive maintenance
Software
Mark Uffland
Making effective use of software is vital to the future success of your business. But there is so much hype and overblown marketing in this space. We've seen many startups fall prey to this, especially when procurement decisions are made in decentralised silos.
Mark Uffland
Key Series A
software attributes
Flexible
Just like your hardware, you'll want flexible pricing that can scale up and down depending on your users or your needs. All modern SaaS platforms will offer tired packages, but their actual pricing models aren't always as simple as they seem. Do your due diligence before subscribing. Applications that actually scale with you will save you a headache later on.
User-centric
User-centric design is everywhere these days — praise be! — but there are still many painful-to-use applications out there that will try to lure you with bespoke, sector-specific functionality. For the sake of your team's happiness and productivity, always try to strike a balance between user experience and functionality.
Integrated
Integrating your tools is crucial to encouraging your team to work smarter and more efficiently. You can do this in-house or use an iPaaS tool, but the easiest way is to use the out of the box integrations offered by most major software providers. Where possible, choose a package of connected tools that are already integrated, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
Cloud-based
On-premise applications may be more reliable, secure and controllable, but cloud-based software will always be the best bet for an agile startup. As your strategy evolves, you'll need to scale up, scale down and shuffle your tech — and SaaS is the easiest way.
Secure
Security is paramount. At this phase of growth your startup will come under more intense scrutiny from customers and partners, and be at greater risk of security threats (read more about this in the security compliance chapters). The software your team uses is a key front in the defence against such attacks. Always look into and test the security practices of the vendors you want to use.
Take stock
Before you dive in and start signing purchase orders, take stock. On the road to Series A you will have already built up a long tail of software. Often, this happens in a haphazard way, with differing executives preferring their own tools for their own tasks, and little synchronicity or integration between systems. Instead of muddling along with a stack based on personal preference (rather than business alignment) start you software revolution with an audit.
in the way
Fundamental tools you'll need
More tools to invest in
Customer Support
Human Resources
Time Tracking
Accounting
Payment
Management
Marketing
CRM
Scheduling
Beware migration
Whenever you change software, the spectre of migration will rear its head. Ensuring data is transferred securely and accurately is exactly the kind of important yet non-senior task you should be looking to delegate. For a well planned, seamless and efficient migration that does not go over budget or result in a protracted process, source a managed service provider that will look after the entire process: before, during and after.
Compliance
Ashley Venn
Compliance is immensely valuable at the Series A stage. Investors, customers, and the general public will all be sizing you up with a good dose of due diligence. If you're looking for credibility, compliance is the answer.
Ashley Venn
Why become compliant?
£3m
average business revenue loss from non-compliance
Certification
If you've already been selling to financial institutions or healthcare organisations, you'll most likely be certified before Series A. If that doesn't apply, this is the time to invest in a formal compliance program.
Frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 provide a foundation of security that unblocks enterprise sales, lessens risk, and protects your startup's finances and reputation from company-killing events.
Which compliance framework should you choose?
SOC 2
US-centric
Customisable attestation
Virtual
2-3 month lead time
ISO 27001
Europe-centric
Prescriptive certification
On-site
6 month lead time
Don't forget local-level and industry-specific compliance; for example, healthcare founders know their product must meet HIPAA compliance, and companies in the consumer space are well aware of GDPR.
Four steps to certification
Security Controls
Gap analysis
External audit
Internal audit
Number of compliance officers employed in the United States from 2005 to 2020
(in 1,000s)
Security
Ashley Venn
As the sophistication and volume of cyber attacks continues to increase, startups must come to terms with the fact that a single security solution often isn't enough.
Ashley Venn
£5.7 m
Cost of average security breach for companies with under 500 employees
Annual number of data breaches and exposed records in the US from 2005 to 2020
(in millions)
What does 'being prepared' mean for a Series A startup?
Though some bill themselves as silver bullet security solutions, it's good practice to build a matrix of layers that properly protect different areas of the business.
Human layer
Perimeter layer
Network layer
Endpoint layer
Application layer
Data layer
Mission critical assets
Disaster recovery
£4400
Average business cost per
minute of IT downtime
Environment
Shiv Tailor
Office and onboarding are two of the biggest growth pains in a Series A startup, and they're inherently linked. As your business grows, your team will grow alongside it. So you'll need to create a space for this expansion.
Shiv Tailor
The Series A office
Due the inherent volatility of the Series A phase, what you need from an office can rapidly change. A given is that your team will be expanding rapidly, but it doesn't always expand at the rate you expect — it could move faster or slower, depending on how your post-raise phase plays out. So how do you stay in the goldilocks zone, and only pay for what you need?
The most straightforward solution is to not have an office at all during this phase — a radically remote policy will give you the freedom to scale, pivot and make your mark faster, without having to worry about office logistics.
But, if you're absolutely set on setting up a physical space to call home, the key is to remain flexible. Startups often fall into the trap of signing up to lengthy leases under the impression this works out as the ‘best-value for money' option. But what usually happens is a startup with a long term lease will experience significant periods when the office is under and above capacity, pushing them into ad hoc solutions that detriment productivity and revenue.
If you want flexibility to scale, a managed office or a short term lease are your best bets. Alternatively, if you see a long term lease as your only option, try to insert a sublet clause that enables you to rent the office to someone else when your needs change.
Choosing your space
Creating wellness
through space
Breakout spaces
Private spaces
Agile working
Collaborative space
On-site facilities
Biophilic design
Smart acoustics
Don't forget to:
Onboarding
One thing that can make or break a new hire is onboarding. We've seen it happen a lot when companies scale for the first time: lots of new faces with lots of confusion about what they should be doing. Even if they are a self-starter personality type, a new hire can still experience friction with unfamiliar tools and software, and potentially end up working on the wrong tasks.
While the new team member may tick all your boxes and look perfect on paper, if you don't have a proper onboarding process, they won't be able to perform.
Put in place training and support
In the new world of remote/blended working, it can be difficult to onboard new employees when you're not face to face. But there are actions you can take to make the process more smooth and time effective.
Network
Monica Velasquez
To make the most of cloud technologies, you need great connectivity; a network that is fast, resilient and free of bottlenecks. Enable your workforce to maximise productivity in the cloud and enhance your team's collaboration by choosing a scalable solution that grows with you.
Monica Velasquez
Connection
Internet: the lifeblood of every 21st century business. Hit-and-miss connections, snail-pace internet speeds and lousy customer service are all things we can do without.
What should you be considering when choosing and setting up your connection?
Fast
Reliable
Support
Flat pricing
Coverage
Infrastructure
What does cloud networking enable?
Workflow
Mark Uffland
Once the perfect IT suite has been set up, most Series A startups will want to use this opportunity to consider how it can be customised and improved to match the particular workflows within their business. The most effective solution is to introduce automation.
Mark Uffland
Accelerate your growth
Adoption of digital automation has risen significantly over the past few years, as businesses now want to deliver a seamless service — not only for their customers, but for their team too.
The right productivity solutions and automations will lessen yours and your teams' workload, giving you time to focus on high value activities (rather than repetitive menial tasks).
Obvious candidates for automation are routine maintenance tasks such as software updates, patches, regular disk cleanup and frequent backups. Any process that is ongoing and repetitive by nature should also be considered; customer support services, report generation… anything that helps you save time on repetitive processes, so your workforce can concentrate on tasks only talented humans can achieve.
While automation helps SMBs eliminate repetitive tasks, there are bigger benefits as well: 88% of SMBs say automation allows them to compete with larger companies by allowing them to move faster, spend less time on busywork, reduce errors, and offer better customer service.
When searching for productivity-driving automations, what key things do you need to look out for?
Immediate returns
Modularity
Minimise disruption
How to strategically build automations
Bring together your various VPs and ask them to outline their struggles and potentials for automation.
Empower VPs and their teams to build automated processes by equipping them with low-code, drag-and-drop software, like Microsoft Power Automate.
Prioritise high gain automations, and organise lower yield or open-ended projects along a roadmap for future growth.
Encourage teams to iteratively improve and design these automated systems until they work as needed.
Most commonly automated tasks
This isn't one-size-fits all
We work with you to draw up a plan that suits your specific business needs.
There's no upfront cost: we'll purchase the equipment and install, monitor and manage it all, and bundle it with your monthly subscription.
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