How not to drown in (technical) debt

Has your company started growing and you didn't know how to scale the system for more employees and customers? Here's how to avoid that pitfall.

Has it ever happened that your business started growing and you didn't know how to scale your system for more employees and customers — only to discover that with your current setup, it just isn't possible? If yes, you've fallen into technical debt.

How to avoid it?

Think ahead. There's a reason I keep saying you should pick scalable systems and devices. If something is capped at a number of users you might realistically exceed, pick a different service.

How do I get out of debt?

This is harder. First, document everything — both software and hardware — that needs to be replaced. Then look for a service that's compatible with the things you don't need to replace. Then make an extra backup. If you can keep the old version running on the side while you integrate the new software, that's a good idea too — it'll save a lot of time and guarantee you can keep working.

In closing

If you're comfortable in English, I highly recommend reading this article, which describes nicely how scalability works.