Start-ups outsource IT too late

More than two-thirds (68%) of all startup companies want to outsource their IT infrastructure to an external service provider, but only 12% are taking this route from the very beginning when the company is founded. This discrepancy emerges from the current report "IT for Startups - Trends 2015" by the company LeaseWeb which operates hosting networks. As part of the study, 100 experts from the German IT industry and startup scene were surveyed.

"Many startups first build up their own IT landscape, quickly reach its limits, and only then undertake the outsourcing to an external service provider," is how Benjamin Schönfeld, Managing Director of LeaseWeb Germany, interprets the survey results. He explains, "This two-step approach costs startups an inordinate amount of management attention, time and money - all three resources that are extremely scarce for young companies at this stage anyway." Schönfeld advises, "Startups should no longer provide for their own IT in the business plan, but instead rely on an external IT infrastructure from the very beginning."

Among the professionals surveyed as part of the study, 82% believe that the lower acquisition and maintenance costs associated with external IT infrastructure bring immediate savings to young founders. Just as many see potential savings from the lower space requirements alone. As many as 59% strongly recommend a cloud solution because it would provide companies with a professional IT environment that flexibly adapts to changing business processes.

When selecting the external data center service provider, the startups have one maxim above all: 92% insist on a "guaranteed independence of the provider from US authorities". For 72%, availability is particularly important. Just as many are firmly convinced that a modern IT infrastructure represents a competitive advantage that is critical to success.