Digitising your business

Move from paper, spreadsheets and disconnected apps to a secure, connected set of cloud systems.

Who it is for: Owners and operations managers who know their systems are holding them back but are not sure where to start.

Intermediate · 7 articles · about 56 minutes

What you will learn

  • Understand the core business technology stack and what each part does
  • Move to cloud and SaaS tools with confidence
  • Select software with a clear process instead of a sales demo
  • Connect systems so data flows without re-keying
  • Protect the business with sensible cybersecurity basics
  • Plan a digital transformation in achievable stages

Articles in this path

  • Business technology fundamentals – The handful of technology building blocks every Australian small business relies on, how they fit together, and the habits that keep them cheap, secure and working for the business rather than against it.
  • Cloud computing – What the cloud actually is, the difference between software, platform and infrastructure services, how cloud pricing works, and how to decide what belongs in the cloud for an Australian small business.
  • SaaS applications – How software-as-a-service products work, where they beat installed software and where they do not, how to read a SaaS contract, and how to stop a growing business drowning in subscriptions.
  • Business software selection – A repeatable way to choose software: define the problem, map the process, decide whether to buy or build, score a shortlist on fit and total cost, trial with real data and plan the rollout.
  • Systems integration – How to make your business systems share data automatically: the ways to connect them, how APIs and sync actually work, choosing a source of truth, and keeping integrations reliable as the business grows.
  • Cybersecurity fundamentals – The handful of controls that stop most attacks on small businesses, how the common scams actually work, and how to build a security baseline you can maintain without an IT department.
  • Digital transformation – What digital transformation means for an established small or medium business, how to prioritise where to start, why people and process come before technology, and how to measure whether it is working.

Next path: Introduction to AI for SMBs