Information Technology

Information technology plays an important role in business success. By investing in appropriate equipment and technology, a small business operator can grow productivity and reach new markets.

Learning about technology is important. Read business magazines, attend business exhibitions and relevant training courses, presentations and expos and talk to other business people.

Planning for new and upgraded equipment is also important. Understanding technology’s useful economic life should be built into business planning.

Selecting equipment and brands should be based on value for money, ie on total cost of ownership over the life of the equipment, including running costs such as maintenance and cost of consumables.

Things to consider when buying a new computer:

Laptop or desktop? You may need access to files and the internet on the go.
Mac or PC? The trend towards Mac has traditionally been for the creative, graphical industries but is now extending into the business world as a preference for those who do presentations for a living. It's personal choice, so try a friend’s Mac to see what you think. If you’re likely to be asking the people around you for computer help and they are on PC, go for a PC.
AMD or Intel? When buying a PC, you’ll sometimes be given a choice of processor - the brain of the computer. Unless you’re after a serious workhorse for highly graphics intensive tasks or games, go with the salesperson's recommendation at the time.
Get a large hard drive. If it’s only a couple of hundred dollars extra for a hard drive upgrade, go for it - the more storage space the better.
Include a network card. There are lots of reasons to network two computers: share an Internet connection, files and devices like your printer. For laptops, make sure it’s a wireless network card or it has in-built wireless.
A recordable DVD/CD combo drive is usually standard. DVDs hold over 4GB, so are great for quick backups or to transfer large files or videos. CDs hold around 650MB.
Some new machines don't even have floppy disk drives. Transferring small files has become very easy via email, USB flash drive or the recordable DVD/CD drive.
New computers come standard with the latest operating system, so don’t worry about which one to choose.
New computers come standard with the latest flat, LCD screens which are much more comfortable and take up less space on your desk.
If you don't choose next-day repair with your warranty, you may be without your computer for weeks. Can you afford to be? Also determine whether on-site pickup is economical.
An external hard drive is important, especially for small and home businesses. It is a small box which sits next to your computer, connected via USB cable. It holds around 200-300GB and you use it to regularly backup your entire computer or just your own data. Some business owners buy two external hard drives, keeping one off site (in the car or at home) in case of fire in the office.
Zip drives are not as popular these days (an external drive which holds it’s own, much larger format disks).
Buy as powerful a computer as you can afford. You should be able to get a standard small business computer for around $1,300 plus productivity and anti virus software like Microsoft Office.

Click here to access IT Start-Up Guidance which contains information on software to suit the job and more.

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Wireless Networking

The simplest, cost-effective and versatile form of wireless networking uses radio frequencies to communicate.

If your office is already successfully networked, there's probably little reason for you to change from a cabled system to a wireless one.

However, if you are starting from scratch, moving to new premises or re-organising your office, wireless technology can offer some tangible benefits.

It does away with the need to install an expensive cable or fibre infrastructure.

It can also be useful for businesses that change premises or re-allocate floor space frequently. For businesses that are expanding and those that expect to add staff, amalgamate with other operations in the future, wireless networking is simpler to install, more flexible and more cost-effective than cabling.

It’s great if you’re mobile - you can use your laptop’s wireless functions to access a wireless network at a client site, at home or even at a "hotspot" such as airports and cafes (usually for a small fee).

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Virtual Support Services

There are many virtual services available which can be convenient for home businesses. Such services include desktop publishing, writers, researchers, web designers, publishers, graphic designers, corporate event planners and programmers.

Try www.elance.com and www.rentacoder.com. Post a brief of your project/job on the site and providers will bid for it. You view the folios of the providers, decide on the price you wish to pay and award the job to the provider of your choice.

Directories of virtual assistants in NSW and Australia:

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