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If your small business isn’t taking advantage of the latest technological advancements, you’re really missing out. In case you haven’t noticed, these new applications offer even more functionality than older programs at a much lower cost. Upgrading your business procedures is truly a win-win situation! Here are just a few ways that you can fully leverage today’s technology.
1. Give Up the Fax Machine
Today’s small business doesn’t even need a fax machine. Online services such as Metrofax Internet Faxing are available that can receive any incoming faxes and deliver them to your email inbox. For outgoing faxes, they can take any electronic document and transform it into a faxable format to be printed on anyone’s fax machine. This new trend allows your business to save time and money in addition to adding an environmentally-friendly designation to any promotional materials. It will definitely save a tree or two.
2. E-Sign Your Documents
At one time, even electronic documents had to be printed, signed and scanned back into the system when an official signature was required. This is no longer the case. With businesses like Echosign, a signature can easily be applied to any document. This is another eco-friendly way that your small business can leverage technology to save both time and money.
3. Backup Your Data
Many users, including small businesses, find backups to be too tedious and technical to bother with. Instead of backing up critical data, they take the risk of losing everything in the event of a hardware failure. This is a huge mistake. Instead of taking this risk, use one of two easy methods to keep a copy of everything.
Removable Hard Drives – This inexpensive device can be configured to automatically backup your entire system as soon as it’s attached to your computer. When the backup is complete, remove it. The best practice is to store this piece of equipment in a separate location to protect it from fires, floods, theft and other hazards.
- Cloud Backups – As long as you have an Internet connection, you can create online backups with any cloud-computing company. You won’t have to worry about arranging for off-site storage or physical connections. Best of all, your data will be password protected for security and can be accessed from any location with an Internet connection.
4. Use the Strengths of Your Smartphone
If you have a smartphone, use it like the processing-powerhouse that it is. These tiny devices can do almost as much as a full-sized computer. From accessing the Internet to checking stock prices, all you need is the right app, and an entirely new world opens up. Here are some of the best apps for business owners:
- Documents to Go - Create, read and update documents from your phone.
- Sprite Backup – Backup the data in your phone just in case of a failure.
- Astrid - Manage your day.
By fully leveraging the strengths of modern technology, your small business will grow in every way. What new program will your small business try first?
