Almost half of America's workforce is employed by small business. A report released in May 2012 by the National Economic Council says 60 million Americans are employed by 28 million small businesses. Balancing productivity and costs can be difficult for any business trying to make it in today's rough economic climate.
Travelling around the country for TV and radio appearances, the one question I get a lot is, "What kind of technology does my small office need, and what can I pass on?" Without any further delay, I present my "What to Buy & What to Avoid" column specifically tailored for the small business owner.
Buy Laptops, not Desktops (or Tablets):
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.
To help mobile workers many small businesses will set up an FTP or a file server, to give employees access to important documents, but if your company uses specialty software or a customer management system setting up all of these employees' computers to access the program can be expensive. A compromise could be to use a remote access solution such as logmein to control office computers while away, however connectivity and speed could make it difficult.
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.
I like the Toshiba Dynadock U3.0 Universal USB Docking Station which works with any Windows-based computer and is available for around $130. Its built-in video card supports two large monitors and the HDMI-out port allows you to view 1080p HD videos or games on an external display. It supports network data transfer over USB 3.0 and surround sound through either HDMI or 3.5mm audio. Compared to the two to four USB ports on many laptops, the six USB slots will increase the number of peripherals you can connect.
Do you have an expensive device everyone seems to need? Rather than buying multiple big screen monitors or projectors use the universal docking station so everyone can access it. Then whoever is running the quarterly meeting can connect without any fuss.
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.
Travelling around the country for TV and radio appearances, the one question I get a lot is, "What kind of technology does my small office need, and what can I pass on?" Without any further delay, I present my "What to Buy & What to Avoid" column specifically tailored for the small business owner.
Buy Laptops, not Desktops (or Tablets):
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.
To help mobile workers many small businesses will set up an FTP or a file server, to give employees access to important documents, but if your company uses specialty software or a customer management system setting up all of these employees' computers to access the program can be expensive. A compromise could be to use a remote access solution such as logmein to control office computers while away, however connectivity and speed could make it difficult.
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.
I like the Toshiba Dynadock U3.0 Universal USB Docking Station which works with any Windows-based computer and is available for around $130. Its built-in video card supports two large monitors and the HDMI-out port allows you to view 1080p HD videos or games on an external display. It supports network data transfer over USB 3.0 and surround sound through either HDMI or 3.5mm audio. Compared to the two to four USB ports on many laptops, the six USB slots will increase the number of peripherals you can connect.
Do you have an expensive device everyone seems to need? Rather than buying multiple big screen monitors or projectors use the universal docking station so everyone can access it. Then whoever is running the quarterly meeting can connect without any fuss.
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:
Learn more about Small Business Computers. Stop by Andrea Eldridge's site where you can find out all about Desktops and Laptop Computer Repair and what it can do for you.
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