by Ismail Hussein

Created on: October 15, 2007

Being a small business usually means that there isn't a whole lot of capital available for investment. You need technology to cut down on costs but at the same time doesn't cost a fortune. Luckily there are a lot of hardware and software available at little or no cost that can greatly aid your day-to-day business activities and increase productivity.

Website

Perhaps the most important asset that a small business needs nowadays is a website. Your website allows potential customers to access information about what your business offers and allows them to contact you at any time via e-mail. Having a website also provides the opportunity to offer your products or services to a worldwide market via e-commerce. There are countless webhosts on the internet that offer comprehensive website packages at competitive prices

Office suite

No workstation is complete without an office suite. It is an absolute necessity for any business, period. There are several office suites available such as Microsoft Office. However, if Microsoft Office is a bit steep for your pocket, consider Open Office.org. Made by Sun Microsystems, the same company that created the highly popular Java programming language Open Office.org has all the features of Microsoft Office with an added bonus. It's free. That's right, absolutely free. All you need is an internet connection to download the free Office suite.

Printing, Faxing and Copying

These are three common needs of nearly all businesses, big or small. Instead of purchasing a separate machine for each task (printer, fax machine and photocopier) which can add up to a lot of precious money, consider an all-in-one that does all three tasks, at a fraction of the cost. If your business budget allows it, get an all-in-one that does it all from HP or Lexmark at very affordable prices. There are several different models available, so choose the one that suits your business best.

Communication

With so many phone companies out there all competing with each other, you are bound to find an affordable package for your business. But if you would like to cut down even further on your telephone bill, consider VoIP telephony, or more specifically, Skype. Apart from free calls to other Skype users worldwide and relatively cheap credits to make calls to mobile and landlines, Skype also offers a lot of specialized features for businesses. Firstly, there is the Skype Business Control Panel that allows managers to purchase and distribute credits to employees, keeps track of expenditure and allows you to print off a handy report. There's also the Skype Toolbar for Microsoft Office that allows the user to send a file currently being worked on and communicate directly with the author of a document from within Office. Just like Skype, both of these useful apps are free. All you need is a reliable internet connection.

This list is but a few among many types of technology that can aid your small business. There are many other useful tools out there that can greatly aid your business operations foe a lot less than you might think.

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