Here is a list of items to consider when setting up your business for technology.
Personal Computers
At the heart of most businesses' tech investments is the PC. This is where you will be doing most of your computing, researching, and communicating, so it is important that your computer will be able to do everything you require of it. Fortunately, most new PCs today will be able to do anything you ask of it...and more! Unfortunately, choosing the right PC may not be so simple as it seems, as there are a lot of choices depending on your needs and budget. Your choice of PC should be dictated by what you want to do with it, and not the other way around. If you want to do simple proposals, balance your checkbook, and give presentations to clients, any low end system will do. If your business is more into photo and video editing, graphic arts and design, or number crunching a lot of data, you will need more power than the average PC. Write down your list, and make this a basis for deciding which system to buy.
Software
Often overlooked after you buy a computer is the software. Your choice in Operating System (OS) and application software will affect your choices in hardware. Application software, such as word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software can be purchased off the shelf. Other software, such as accounting and database, may need to be customized to fit your own business processes, so you will need to invest time in that. Take note that most commercial software will need to be licensed--that means you will need to pay a fee for every copy you install on each computer.
Peripherals
You will need to get other peripherals to get data in and out of your computers as well. Common peripherals are printers (to send out data to paper), scanners (to save printed data, such as photos or books), and fax modems (to send and receive faxes through your computer, as well as connect to the Internet through a phone line). Other devices combine a printer, scanner, and fax machine in one peripheral to save space. If you plan on getting other devices, such as a digital camera, video camera, LCD projector, drawing tablets, and the like, make sure that they are compatible with the computer and software that you are using or planning to use.
Networking Equipment
If you are planning on getting more than one PC, you will want to connect them together to share data and peripherals with each other thru a Local Area Network (LAN), or simply, a Network. Depending on how near or far apart your computers are located, you can have them connected through network cables or through a wireless lan, or both. Your computer will also need a Network Adaptor (also known as a LAN Card) to plug in the wires on one end and a network hub or switch on the other end to connect all the computers together. If you want to share your Internet connection for all computers in the network, you can use a broadband router and switch instead of your usual hub.
Mobile Devices
Palmtops and smartphones now play a big part in making your business mobile. These devices, when used properly, can act as your appointment book, to do list, calendar, memo pad, voice recorder, and more! They let you work while on the road and, at the press of a button can copy data from your computer at the office. You will need to make sure that they work with your computer and application software without any hitches. Most smartphones and palmtops today have the power (and cost) of low end PCs 2 to 3 years ago, so do not underestimate the impact and competitive advantage they can have on your business.
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