A new office or a growing team needs the same foundations, whatever the business. Set them up in this order and each step supports the next.
1. Your domain
Everything else hangs off your domain: website, email, and often logins to other services. Register it in a company account with two-factor authentication, not in a freelancer's personal account.
2. Business email
Give everyone an address on the domain, plus role addresses such as info@ and accounts@. Connect phones and laptops securely over IMAP.
3. A website
Even a simple, fast website with your services, location and contact details builds trust and is the first thing customers check.
4. Shared files
Stop emailing documents back and forth. A shared drive or file server gives everyone one current copy, with permissions by team. Read moving files off laptops.
5. Backups
Back up shared files, email and the website automatically, with one copy off-site. See our backup strategy for small businesses.
6. Security basics
- Two-factor authentication on email and every admin account.
- A password manager for shared accounts.
- Automatic updates on all computers.
- Basic phishing awareness for the whole team.
7. Business software
Accounting, CRM or ERP, hosted reliably and backed up. Desktop software can run on a Windows server reachable by remote desktop instead of a single office PC.
8. Someone responsible
Decide who owns IT, inside the team or with a provider, and keep a list of every account, renewal and supplier.
At IDX
IDX provides the whole stack: domains, business email, hosting, Windows and Linux servers, backup storage and managed services, with support from engineers. Tell us about your office and we will suggest a setup.
IDX on digital infrastructure
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