Are you designing a home office for your small business? Lots of small businesses are sole proprietorships, which means you run it all on your own. This means you’re the president, vice-president, accountant and intern all rolled into one.
In order to fulfill multiple roles, you will need a good computer system with the right software for your specific needs. Small businesses can be all sorts of things, so there is unfortunately no one-size-fits-all solution.
That said, we can certainly make recommendations to ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
Home Office Essentials
Laptop vs. Desktop
Here’s the thing, there is no perfect answer in the laptop versus desktop debate when it comes to setting up a home office. That said, there are pros and cons to each.
If you won’t be meeting with clients in your office, you will enjoy the portability of a laptop. So, if you have to meet a client off-site, you can bring your computer with you to show them what you’ve been working on.
Laptops do have less memory, but they have come a long way since they first came along. You can always use an external hard drive or cloud storage to save space.
If you need large screens or multiple screens, you could have a desktop set-up. This is preferable for graphic designs who need a big work space. You can always buy a smaller device, such as a tablet, to take to client meetings.
The other option is to have monitors running off your laptop – which is docked. When you’re working in your home office you can have the laptop on the dock, with the monitors and a proper keyboard and mouse. When you need to go off-site, you can take the laptop.
Software
Every small business computer requires some basics, such as anti-virus software, some kind of security to protect your private information, and Microsoft Word (or the office suite).
TwinBytes recommends several things, such as Avast Business Cloudcare Security – which really helps when you’re working off-site on an insecure network.
As for other software recommendations, it will depend on what your business is. If you’re looking for advice, reach out to TwinBytes in Richmond Hill to get some personalized recommendations. There might even be some free versions of programs you can use!
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