Looking to set up small IT business, advice needed
Discussion
Possibly looking to set-up a business to supply small businesses with IT support, such as Doctors surgery’s, hotels, solicitors etc on a ad hoc basis. Has anyone done this and could let me know what I should expect, how to go about setting up, how much could be made etc. I am initially looking to send out questioners to local businesses to see what they currently do on the IT front, how much they are charged etc. Thank you in advance.
Doctors' and solicitors' software would be, by now, quite spohisticated. The main areas for solicitors would be time keeping/billing software and appointments software. The same would go for accountancy practices as well.
Doctors' surgeries usually have a heavy reliance on appointments software too but they also have a lot of symptom/medicine cross reference programmes these days.
Most important to doctors are patient data and medical history files.
Doctors' surgeries usually have a heavy reliance on appointments software too but they also have a lot of symptom/medicine cross reference programmes these days.
Most important to doctors are patient data and medical history files.
We were approached by a local doctors surgery to develop a bespoke system which we thought could lead to a commercial system - on looking into the industry further the GP system are all regulated by the NHS Information Authority and all systems have to be certified - for this reason the market is very hard to break into and most surgeries take out hardware and software systems from the same suppliers. Also the surgeries are funded from their up line NHS trust which set their own specifications and tend to push the surgeries into using the same software solution etc.
Solicitors firms again we have had dealings with and most are again using the same provider for both software and systems - the only ones that don't will have internal IT support etc.
Having been in the game for many years my advice is to find a area of speciality which other suppliers don't offer within your target market - we for example specialise in providing Terminal Server solutions which can save companies of any size loads of money over the long term - also very easy to manage and support remotely which enables us to provide a better service etc.....
Solicitors firms again we have had dealings with and most are again using the same provider for both software and systems - the only ones that don't will have internal IT support etc.
Having been in the game for many years my advice is to find a area of speciality which other suppliers don't offer within your target market - we for example specialise in providing Terminal Server solutions which can save companies of any size loads of money over the long term - also very easy to manage and support remotely which enables us to provide a better service etc.....
Eric Mc said:
I would also expect that medical practice software has to be pretty bomb proof - given that people's lives could be at stake based on whataver data is kept on the system.
I used to work in this sector and even over 10 years ago GP systems could tell if a record had been altered on a patients records. To develop a system now from scratch would require an indepth knowledge of the health service and at least a spare few million quid. I'm not sure what the market is liek now, but there used to be about 3 major players at it.
The other sectors I can't really say, however there is a lot of business out there to be had. The trick is getting your foot in the door with someone who is well recognised in their particular field and work off their recomendations.
It's a tough cookie to crack and very easy to fail at, but not impossible.
As already said, if you can find a specific area - get in there and expoloit it.
JC
I'd forget GP practices...
With the new GP contract Primary Care Trusts now hold full responsibility for IT in GP practices. As a consequence when it comes to support contracts we are looking to secure over strategic health auuthority areas which around here is across three counties... Practices themselves still need the odd bit of advice but there is far less scope for them to do much as they can't buy anything without PCT authority, some PCTs have depts of IT that will sort this kind of stuff.
This has all changed in the last 6 months... Deep joy! I'm trying to get out!
With the new GP contract Primary Care Trusts now hold full responsibility for IT in GP practices. As a consequence when it comes to support contracts we are looking to secure over strategic health auuthority areas which around here is across three counties... Practices themselves still need the odd bit of advice but there is far less scope for them to do much as they can't buy anything without PCT authority, some PCTs have depts of IT that will sort this kind of stuff.
This has all changed in the last 6 months... Deep joy! I'm trying to get out!
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