Does the technology in your office enhance your business? Technology is no longer nice to have, technology is essential in doing business. I thought it would be useful to provide a simple checklist of basic technology needs to lay the basis for follow-on articles about why these technologies enhance your business and what to know when acquiring these business tools. There's no point in having business technology unless it satisfies a business need. In my article "Examine Your Use of Technology as a Service Provider" it states that "[the] use of technology in your business should focus of solving business needs, improving business efficiency, reducing business costs, and improving customer relations. Good technology will improve your business results. So, what is good business technology?

• It solves a business problem.
• It is easy to adopt and use.
• It adapts to your unique business practice.
• It gives you flexibility."

Of course, not all businesses require all of the technologies listed, and some are more essential than others, but to be effective you need good business solutions. The lists address generic sole practitioner and small offices, and does not address technologies specific to individual professions.

It's still surprising, but there are some business people that don't use some basic technologies. Mostly, in my humble opinion, these people will be out of business soon, either through retirement of by loss to competition. The great and current example is in the recent Presidential campaign, the loosing candidate didn't understand the internet, the winning candidate is fighting to keep the use of his Blackberry to be able to stay in touch while in the White House. To a great extent the understanding, use, and reliance on technology was a significant contributing factor in Barack Obama's victory. The must have business technologies are:

• Cell phone
• Laptop with wireless connectivity
• High-speed broadband internet service (DSL, Cable, T2, etc.)
• E-mail
• Backup resources and storage of business and client information
• Backup power supply (if using desktop PC without battery backup)
• Business web site
• Business web domain specific email address.

Some professions require the use of fax, print, and copy capabilities. The business web site and web domain email address will be addressed in a subsequent article.

The following technologies will be must have if not now, within a year or two:

• Mobile internet devices: netbooks, internet capable handhelds, such as Apple iPhone, Nokia N810, Blackberry
• Mobile broadband access (G3, etc.)

Business software is essential to be efficient and effective in managing your business, good client relations, and business growth. You simply can't be effective running your business with pencil and paper or even using basic word processing and spreadsheet techniques to manage business and client information. You need business tools to be effective. The following types of business solutions should be adopted and used regularly:

• Software to manage client information, business expenses, marketing and sales material, web content, files and information resources, and industry specific information
• Resources to categorize and store business related files, images, video, audio, and various sales process notes, contacts, and related information
• Resources to manage business information independent of a specific location, PC, or installed application.

Bias Alert

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There are some web technologies that may become more integrated in some aspects of business, especially in communication and should be watched to see if your should adopt them, they include:

• Short text communication techniques such as Twitter.
• Social sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

One thing that I fundamentally believe is that we will be doing business away from our offices more and more in the future. This is partially why I founded my company and the software reflected in Ceboa and WIN Insight. We will be mobile, but we must be connected to our essential business information. Every technology solution you adopt should, to the extent possible, be defined by the principles of business mobility and flexibility.

It is also good to think about your carbon footprint. Every technology we acquire uses some amount of energy. I heard a report on one of the business channels recently that said doing two web searches is equivalent of boiling a pot of tea ( see an article on this reference ). I've been working on improving my carbon footprint by unplugging various things, such as chargers that aren't charging at the time, and turning off the laptop at night. While I still have a printer, I am trying very hard to do everything electronically and not use paper, the fax, or the copier (fortunately, my business doesn't need these very often).

Technology is essential in business and becoming more important. Focus on technologies that improve your business, reduce your costs, increase your effectiveness, and support good customer relations.

© 2009 R.D. Franke. All rights reserved.