My previous post talked about the challenges a startup faces when put against the onus of handling technology on its own. I mentioned how in-house talent can be the god given remedy but what if you are devoid of that option?
This is where a technology partner comes in. What initially may sound like an exorbitant way out is an eventual bliss in the future. Technology partnership can snowball a startup’s invested money and consequently prove more than beneficial in the future.
Choosing the Right Technology Partner
Choosing your technology soulmate can be an arduous task, but after tying knots with that perfect technology soulmate, startups can put both feet on the accelerator and take their business to the next level.
So let me cut to the chase and provide you with a list of few things that a startup must look for in a technology partner:
Right Technology Mix
They must work around the correct mix of technologies that a startup requires for its business, be it Web, CMS, eCommerce, Database or Mobile. It is pivotal to make sure they can check the A-Z list of a startup’s technological requirements.
A technological partner must be able to provide solutions to all raised technology questions under one roof without having to shuffle multiple resources in one hand.
Pioneering technologies
Not only should they have the right technology stack but their practising technologies must be of the latest versions and kinds. Companies working with obsolete technologies will only slow startups down.
Similar industry knowledge (or experience)
Having a run through their corporate portfolios and case studies around the technological stacks can be a useful exercise. If a startup has an online marketplace and the technology partner holds eBay as a client, then you know they are in right hands.
Methodical
The technology partner must work with processes. Every good company follows a series of processes that leads a project from initiation to completion with minimum hindrances. Audits, reviews and continuous iterations to prioritize top notch quality.
Specialists
There must a handful of specialists who can dedicatedly handle the technology, adept professionals who can understand business visions and are answerable not only to delivery of project in time but also building a technology that is loved by customers globally.
24x7x365 fanatical support
Perhaps the most important thing. A technology partner must be crystal clear in understanding the startup’s technological needs and must be like an omnipresent guardian. Regular communications, flexibility and 24x7x365 support to mitigate risks and breed an environment of growth.
Accreditation and certificates
This may sound decoratory but it is integral in establishing a partner’s credibility. A highly certified company means a trusted resource that you can trust. It can help a startup bring its technological USP on the shelf in no time.
Joining hands with the right technology partner certainly helps startups in gaining the much needed technological knowledge they require rub shoulders against the giants in the market. It is more like a relationship, where two companies grow and mature together, sharing mutual aims of scaling uncharted territories.
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