Making your way in today's economy can be a challenge. Small Businesses are looking for ways to save money without compromising productivity. A May 2012 study by the National Economic Council says 28 million small businesses are responsible for employing nearly half of the American workforce, about 60 million people.
I travel a lot for Television and Radio interviews, and I field a ton of questions about technology. A recurring theme I see frequently revolves around the small business office. People often ask me what they should invest in, and what they should stay away from when buying equipment. Here is my basic buying guide for home based or small offices.
Notebooks Instead of Desktop Computers:
When making a choice about your small office computers you really have two choices, notebooks or desktops. With a desktop you have the most customizability. You can easily upgrade or add to a tower as you need. For example, you can add extra graphic capability, more monitors or extra storage space. Another feature that makes desktop machines useful is the ability to hook up extra office equipment such as printers and back up devices. Their biggest drawback is travel. They make it difficult to easily work from home.
According to a Yankee Group report published in 2008, more than 50 million U.S. workers are considered mobile (i.e. away from their primary workspace more than 20% of the time). To a small business owner or executive, the ability to access a work project when away from the office is often pivotal to success and productivity.
Many small businesses tackle access from the road using remote login software to connect to the office network. This isn't without its drawbacks though, internet speed and quality of connection could play a factor. Another way to use office resources such as documents and files would be to set up FTP or a cloud server, but if your company uses proprietary software programs (ie. Accounting Software, or Customer Management) you may need to install it on multiple systems for each employee.
Using docking stations with notebook computers could be an easy solution. You'll be able to maintain flexibility while keeping costs down. You can use a docking station to connect to several peripherals using only one cable, like a USB. Many will come with prepackaged software that will allow you to use your computer with the lid closed so you can hook up a monitor and full size keyboard and mouse. With a notebook you can work from a coffee shop just as easily as from the office, which will make hitting deadlines easier. You won't need any additional software to connect to your office machine because, well, this is your office machine. This is ideal because when you get back to the office you can simply plug in and keep working right where you left off.
My personal favorite is the Toshiba Dynadock U3.0 Universal USB Docking Station. Just about any Windows PC will be compatible and it only costs about $130. You can hook up two monitors and it even has an HDMI port for High Def connections for games or video editing. It uses USB 3.0 for transferring data and even supports surround sound through a headphone jack or HDMI. The Dynadock has six USB ports which will add a dizzying amount of office printers, back up disks, etc.
This is also a great option for allowing multiple users to share a specialized piece of equipment, like a large monitor or projector. Set up the docking station and whoever is hosting today's sales conference can get going with a single connection.
What about Tablets? When it comes to tablets, even though they are amazing and easy to use, they don't have the same kind of functionality most small offices will need, and they don't have the horsepower to replace a fully functioning laptop or desktop computer.
I travel a lot for Television and Radio interviews, and I field a ton of questions about technology. A recurring theme I see frequently revolves around the small business office. People often ask me what they should invest in, and what they should stay away from when buying equipment. Here is my basic buying guide for home based or small offices.
Notebooks Instead of Desktop Computers:
When making a choice about your small office computers you really have two choices, notebooks or desktops. With a desktop you have the most customizability. You can easily upgrade or add to a tower as you need. For example, you can add extra graphic capability, more monitors or extra storage space. Another feature that makes desktop machines useful is the ability to hook up extra office equipment such as printers and back up devices. Their biggest drawback is travel. They make it difficult to easily work from home.
According to a Yankee Group report published in 2008, more than 50 million U.S. workers are considered mobile (i.e. away from their primary workspace more than 20% of the time). To a small business owner or executive, the ability to access a work project when away from the office is often pivotal to success and productivity.
Many small businesses tackle access from the road using remote login software to connect to the office network. This isn't without its drawbacks though, internet speed and quality of connection could play a factor. Another way to use office resources such as documents and files would be to set up FTP or a cloud server, but if your company uses proprietary software programs (ie. Accounting Software, or Customer Management) you may need to install it on multiple systems for each employee.
Using docking stations with notebook computers could be an easy solution. You'll be able to maintain flexibility while keeping costs down. You can use a docking station to connect to several peripherals using only one cable, like a USB. Many will come with prepackaged software that will allow you to use your computer with the lid closed so you can hook up a monitor and full size keyboard and mouse. With a notebook you can work from a coffee shop just as easily as from the office, which will make hitting deadlines easier. You won't need any additional software to connect to your office machine because, well, this is your office machine. This is ideal because when you get back to the office you can simply plug in and keep working right where you left off.
My personal favorite is the Toshiba Dynadock U3.0 Universal USB Docking Station. Just about any Windows PC will be compatible and it only costs about $130. You can hook up two monitors and it even has an HDMI port for High Def connections for games or video editing. It uses USB 3.0 for transferring data and even supports surround sound through a headphone jack or HDMI. The Dynadock has six USB ports which will add a dizzying amount of office printers, back up disks, etc.
This is also a great option for allowing multiple users to share a specialized piece of equipment, like a large monitor or projector. Set up the docking station and whoever is hosting today's sales conference can get going with a single connection.
What about Tablets? When it comes to tablets, even though they are amazing and easy to use, they don't have the same kind of functionality most small offices will need, and they don't have the horsepower to replace a fully functioning laptop or desktop computer.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about Small Business Computers? Then visit Andrea Eldridge's site on how to choose the best Desktops and Laptop Computer Repair for your needs.
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