Much of my career has been providing IT to startups and SMB’s. I understand prioritizing impact for these limited resource entities. Reviewing the companies I’ve worked at shows a wide variety of these, most of which were successful and some that became learning experiences.
SMB and Startups require a multi-discipline approach to IT since limited resources need to handle a wide range of business requirements. With degree’s in both Computer Science and Telecommunications, I’ve been able to install and manage hardware and networks as well as phone systems and other audio oriented services.
Another important aspect of this space is learning to balance the latest in technology with practicality. There can be advantages for using the latest and greatest technology being buzzed in the media, but there can also be pitfalls. That technology may not be fully baked or the support and talent may not be readily available at a cost-effective point making a not-so-leading edge technology a more practical choice. It is a balancing act in which experience plays a big part.