Whenever technology is mentioned, the first thought (or at least one of many) is incredible functionality that comes with and all-those-enormous-prices. However, for anyone who’s a self-proclaimed or along-the-way-titled gadget and technology geek and lover, it is fairly obvious that a business with no involvement of technology is a trade gone bad and that technology, once understood properly, isn’t even that expensive to use. That is, even when it is – it should be observed as an investment rather than a cost. If anything, being on top of the latest techno upgrades will be helping you to make money if you manage it all properly.
We are giving you some of the most affordable ways to be tech savvy and consequently upgrade your business the best possible way.
Make use of online University presentations
The bless that is internet will provide you with virtually all the information you need on technology upgrades and their implementation in your business. Excellent contents that include videos, challenges, and assessments on practically every subject are available and you may even take a sneak peek into some of the presentations taught in college courses at major universities such as Stanford, Harvard, and MIT.
Technology blogs
Building your base of knowledge is easy accomplished through online courses; however, getting the base knowledge isn’t everything – to be current with latest news and tech trends, you’ll have to bookmark a fair amount of industry blogs. Given we always lack that extra hour in a day and following all the trending data regularly isn’t really an option, staying up-to-date is made easier with pages like Twitter (by simply following the thought leaders in your field you’ll get plenty of info) and Feedly which has taken the place of Google Reader; the latter of the two collect recent posts of your favorite blogs which will enable a quick scan of the latest headlines for relevant news.
Software alternatives
With technology that can get really pricey, alternatives to popular software may just be your on point card.
Microsoft Office Suite alternatives
Alternatives to Microsoft’s Office Suite are now available for use and you should be extremely happy about that! Google Drive (formerly known as Google Docs) provides cloud services for programs with functionality similar to Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
What poses as replacement for Microsoft’s Office Suite is apache OpenOffice which is open-source software that can be downloaded for free.
Adobe Photoshop alternatives
Adobe’s Photoshop is a powerful tool and an alternative cannot really offer the same range of efficacy but its good replacements like Gimp, Picasa, Ppic Monkey and Aviary to name a few – offer photo-editing software that may meet your needs.
All else alternative
Check out CNET for the rest of your soft ware needs. The navigation is easy, there is a large database of free software downloads with reviews and the right solutions for your business may be just a click away. Downloads are available for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.
Refurbished computers, phones and tablets
Refurbished laptops, desktops, printers, phones and tablets are an easy way to reduce costs without sacrificing functionality. Plus, they are also an amazing way not to waste money on constantly buying new technology to stay trending as you can do the same by simply replacing the older model for a newer one. Most refurbished products start out as off-lease returns or customer returns and then are inspected, upgraded or repaired as needed; with a few potential changes, some new notebook parts and then a sold discount you are looking at getting your cake and eating it, too! The machines will often still come with a warranty.
Cloud Services
Free document storage is available from a few major players:
- Microsoft’s SkyDrive allows up to 7 GB
- Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Google Drive allow 5 GB of free storage.
- Dropbox starts out at 2 GB for free and goes to a maximum of 18 GB for free
- SkyDrive also offers very reasonable rates
For everyone who is looking to tech-upgrade their business, this is the right time – just follow the advice given and you are settled!
Guest post submitted by Diana Smith
As more of our lives and business is conducted online, the risk of having our information compromised or used against us increases proportionately.
I agree with you Reggie. Managers should perform some check and balance in term of the applications or platforms for keeping sensitive data. One reason why bigger corporations are doing better than small ones is the use of technology. For example, They have automated their processes and keep records in the cloud. This reduce the need to buy storage devices and rent to host such devices.
Thank you.
Thank you Ousman for sharing your practical experience with us . These platform can in fact help small businesses to lower their technology cost.
Google Drive is wonderful, I knew about it when Google first came to the Gambia in 2011; when it was initially named Google Docs. It’s a wonderful cloud platform that offers 15GB of free online storage and you can do a lot with it. Few months ago i used it to create an online library for a website.