Are You Being Proactive with Your Computer Hardware?

Posted by Elizabeth Goodman in IT Solutions Tuesday, December 01, 2009

In todays unsure economy, budgets are tight, forcing business owners to do more with less
Preventive maintenance such as regularly installing Microsoft Windows updates, routinely running the disk cleanup utility found in Windows and keeping anti-spyware software up to date will keep computers running at their highest efficiency level. But we suggest not running computers until they die, as it can be more cost-effective to invest in new hardware systems than aging ones.
Most modern technologies, such as computers, have life spans of about three to four years. In evaluating whether to invest in a new system, business owners should ask themselves a couple of key questions: Has more than 80 percent of the hard drive capacity been used? Does the computer need to be rebooted periodically throughout the day? If the answers are yes, it may be time for new hardware.
If mobility is not a requirement, desktop computers are less expensive. If purchasing laptops is essential, business owners should buy three-year extended warranties, as accidents happen more frequently with mobile technology.
Regarding computer software, business owners may not need to update their applications every time a new version hits the shelves. However, software should be no more than two versions behind the current one.
At minimum, business owners should consider investing in the following software:
Antivirus software
Microsoft Office Suite, or a word processing and a spreadsheet program
E-mail contact and calendar program (i.e. Microsoft Outlook or legal specific applications such as Time Matters)
Adobe Acrobat for PDF capabilities
Accounting software (i.e. Quickbooks Pro)
Time and billing software
Accounting, time and billing software packagesoften called back office softwareare particularly important in this economy because they allow business owners to budget expenses and income for the year ahead. Such tools can help business owners pinpoint which areas of their practice are most profitable and, conversely, the least. Even business owners who practice with a flat fee structure should track the time they spend in order to find their optimal hourly rates and understand where they stand financially.

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Are You Being Proactive with Your Computer Hardware?

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