In order for your business to make it in our increasingly fast-paced and technological world, you need to be sure that you are taking advantage of the best tools and software available. However, you don’t have to spend a fortune in order to have access to the high quality software that your business needs to succeed. These seven pieces of software will have your business running more efficiently and looking more professional in no time, all for the best price around: Free.- Mozilla Thunderbird – Your business needs to correspond with others, so arguably the first type of software for small business you’ll need is an email program. Fortunately, Mozilla offers a free web browser and e-mail software, Firefox and Thunderbird. Both programs are intuitive to use and easy to set up. You could also establish a free web-based e-mail account with Yahoo, Hotmail or Google. Any of those sites are reliable and have plenty of storage. They can also be upgraded to a more professional level of service for a small fee.
- Ad-Aware – To make sure your software for small business keeps working, you’ll want an anti-virus program like Ad Aware. Ad Aware scans your system for viruses at scheduled intervals or on-demand. It runs in the background and checks your incoming email for malicious attachments and quarantines them if detected.
- OpenOffice.Org – OpenOffice.Org is a terrific, full-productivity version of software for small businesses that includes a Word processor, a spreadsheet, a database program, a drawing program and presentation software all for free. It’s the most widely used free office software available. All the components are compatible with Microsoft products so they can be shared beyond your office. This is a nice alternative to expensive software or working from cloud-based software.
- PhotoScape – A photo is worth a thousand words, so you’ll need a good photo-editing program. PhotoScape is a very popular solution, capable of any editing task like resizing, color correction and screen capture. It also offers advanced batch processing and file conversion applications that are very handy.
- Yahoo Messenger – Yahoo Messenger is a great, free way to stay connected to employees when travel is required. You can use it for video conferencing as well as instant messaging. It also saves on long distance bills.
- Adobe PDF Reader – Downloadable reports and forms require a PDF reader, available for free from Adobe. Additionally, there are many free PDF converters available. PDF converters allow you to convert PDFs to Word documents and other document file formats. You can then edit the documents.
- Quick Books Simple Start Free Edition– Quick Books offers a free accounting software for small business owners that will enable you to easily create professional invoices, accept payments, and keep track of your business’ finances. The software is designed to enhance your business’ professional appearance, while making tax time less stressful and keeping you generally more organized .
Hi! Nice post!
Hope you don’t mind me adding to the list,
Skype: Online free calls and video chat, great for small conferences.
Box.com: For sharing files online.
Google Docs: For sharing documents and spreadsheets
~Eleni
Thanks a lot, Eleni!