9/22/2009
Must-Have Web Tools for Small Businesses
Guest Post by Adrienne Carlson
Almost everything’s done online these days; with the virtual world slowly taking over the real one, more and more people are living amidst the trillions of zeroes and ones that are floating around in cyberspace. In fact, they prefer to do so, because it’s more convenient and mostly free. The Internet is a great place if you’re looking for free software and resources to enhance your business and make it more effective. And some tools are more of a necessity than others, like:
Project management software: If your organization has around 50 or fewer employees, you could easily find free project management software that allows you to allocate tasks and your employees to check them off as they’re done. Each employee’s responsibility is outlined and there is no room for blame games and finger pointing because it’s easy to keep track of who is doing their job and who isn’t. For free options, look up GanttProject and iTeamWork; or if you want the paid kind, try Basecamp.
Scheduling and calendar software: You’re going to have a lot on your mind, so it becomes difficult to remember all that you’re supposed to do in a day or a week. If you cannot afford the services of a secretary or if you’d like to do without one, use tools like Google Calendar and other free options that can be downloaded from the Internet. They allow you to store and remember important dates, set reminders for appointments, share your schedules with other people, and generally keep you abreast of all that you need to do.
Backup and restore software: When all your data is online, this is one tool you must definitely invest in. Your data must be automatically backed up at regular time intervals and stored securely in a location different from your office. Most organizations prefer to hook up with cloud computing services to store their data securely in the event of a crash or data loss. You could check out Back2zip (at a very minimum cost) or FBackup for free software.
Antivirus solutions: Protect all your computers and data with effective anti-virus and security systems. While you do get great service from the big guns like McAfee and Norton, if you’re looking to cut costs, the free versions from Avira and AVG work just as well.
File sharing software: If you’re on the move and have just realized that all your important files have been left behind at the office rather than loaded on to your laptop as you thought they had, what you need is file sharing software. Like Dropbox, for instance. It allows you to put all your files in one folder which can then be accessed from any computer that has Dropbox installed on it. All changes and updates are automatically reflected in the original files. Saves you the hassle of carrying around pen drives or losing them inadvertently.
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This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of online degrees. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: email hidden; JavaScript is required.
12 Responses to Must-Have Web Tools for Small Businesses
Hi Adrienne, Thank you for the excellent tips. I can attest to the quality of AVG. I recently upgraded to their entry level paid version and it is rock solid. Back up and restore issues are something I’m just delving into now (I’m ashamed to say) – but it something entrepreneurs can easily overlook.
Adrienne,
There’s just no end to the tools we have available today to make our lives easier and our businesses more profitable. Thanks for reminding us of all that’s out there! Though some tools (like anti-virus software) are no-brainers, at times we simply don’t think to avail ourselves of these handy helpers due to outdated ideas/habits! It’s too easy to remain so set in our ways that we miss out on the substantial benefits these tools provide!
Thanks again!
Jeanne
Adrienne,
Thanks for your excellent summary – I love the toolbox picture up the top!
I am curious – you mention cloud computing, how safe do you think cloud computing services are from a perspective of data security? Do these types of services pose any significant form of risk with regard to theft of sensitive information or data if the server in the ‘cloud’ is hacked into? Or do you think that the risk of sensitive information being stolen from up there in that cloud is negligible when compared to the risk which businesses face (back here on the ground) in terms of having their own server hacked into or sensitive information stolen some other way?
You forgot the most important one – a working coffee maker.
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Hi Brad, Thanks for the point towards the Gantt and iTeam project management tools. I plan to play with them a bit and see if I can’t divorce myself from MS Project. Very cool finds.
Oops, I mean thank you Brad for hosting Adrienne’s post….
For project management I would recommend 5pm (http://www.5pmweb.com). Basecamp is good but it’s been around for a while and got a bit old. 5pm has a much nicer interface plus some essential features missing in Basecamp. And the iPhone/mobile version comes with it for no extra price.
Great list of useful stuff!
Can I add Moobiz http://www.moobiz.com into the mix?
Designed to give small businesses combined control of project management, CRM, invoicing, accounting, to-dos, calendar, holiday management, business mileage; even website content management, email marketing and ecommerce.
All of the individual apps talk to each other so there are massive time and cost savings over traditional ‘offline’ business methods.
Pricing starts at £15/month, this includes access to all functionality, international time zones and currency options are on their way!
http://www.moobiz.com/blog/2009-09/internationalisation-on-its-way/
Free online webtools to optimize your website or blog. Check http://www.webtoolhub.com/
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