Guides

Running a small business today means that you may need to stay in touch even when you are away on holiday. This Guide explores options for connecting to the office to collect your emails while on the move.

There are some straightforward steps you can take to protect your data, none of which need you to be an expert in IT. This Guide will show you ways to protect your data from unauthorised access and inadvertent corruption.

Most PC users have experienced the frustration of losing a document or data, but imagine how you'd feel if you lost everything? This Guide outlines the benefits of computer backups and how they could save your business.

Knowledge management simply means the process of documenting and making available business related knowledge. This Guide is designed to help you build a knowledge base to store important knowledge in a systematic way.

When you start to work with other people the chances are that you will want to share documents and files. By using a PC server your data will be more secure, more accessible and quicker to access.

There are many different types of PC available, and this Guide will assist you through this maze of choices and hopefully give you some idea of the PC that would suit your work.

Every networked computer is a potential victim of computer viruses and malware. This Guide will help you understand the problems of malware and give you some tips to help secure your computer equipment.

Every business has data that needs to be secured. The chances are you will already have most the equipment and software you need to implement the security measures. This Guide explains what to do next.

One thing many small businesses forget to create is a policy that helps you secure the IT used in your business. By implementing a policy you will have laid out clear lines of responsibilities and will ensure you and your team protect the reputation of your business.

Small business owners need to balance many demands on their time, and training often comes bottom on the list of things to do. We will show you how to build a cost effective IT training plan, making sure it fits your business objectives.

Orders are key to a small business. Managing these orders properly will enable you to fulfil them quickly and save yourself time and money in the process. This guide explains how IT can help you create a small business order management system.

If you collect data on clients, employees or suppliers you will be subject to the Data Protection Act. This Guide explains the basics of the act, your obligations and introduces the Regulation of Investigatory Act (RIPA) which has legal implications for businesses using data encryption.

In order to protect your business data from unauthorised access it is important that your staff understand the need for security and the role this plays. This Guide provides tips on how to ensure your business is secure.

Time is money as they say. What IT products are there to help you manage your important to do list as well as your time? Should you be keeping your to do list electronically so it can be carried in your PDA? This guide will explore time management and products to help you organise your self better

Spam email messages are an unfortunate by-product of using email for business purposes. This Guide will help you neutalise Spam and prevent damage to your IT systems.

Email is probably one of the most popular communication tools in modern business. Unfortunately it does allow rogue operators to abuse it. Subsequent laws now impact use of email which need to be understood by small businesses.

Email if used incorrectly has the power to upset and offend customers, suppliers and even members of your staff. This Guide provides you with an example of good practice for using email in the workplace.

If you use email in your business it is important that you have guidelines on what is acceptable use of company email. This Guide will provide you with guidelines to ensure a productive work environment.

While managing email effectively is important it should not take much time or cost much money. This Guide explores the use of email backup and retrieval technologies to help you manage your email.

While IT can make a big difference to you business it has a considerable environmental impact. In the next few years will see legislation introduced to help protect the environment. This guide will focus on how you can be more environmentally friendly and save your business money.

Finding a computer hardware supplier can be difficult due to the technical language you will encounter. This Guide discusses some of the options available to you when looking for a supplier.

Small business IT can be complicated and at times it will go wrong. How should you deal with these emergencies and where can you turn for help? This guide should help you get back up and running and offers some practical advice on dealing with a crisis.

This Guide explores the topic of getting the right skills in IT and computing to help your business. Being able to use IT effectively and efficently will save you many hours a week compared to slower, manual methods.

A lot of small business data is private and confidential. Imagine if your customer list or prospect data went missing and ended up with a competitor? This Guide will take you through the basic steps to secure your laptop and other devices.

Online calendaring is a powerful tool that enables you to create and share your diary online. This Guide sets out the benefits of online appointment management for your business and how to implement a solution.

Collaborating with people that work from home is probably easier now than it has ever been. This Guide provides advice on how to manage home workers and how to implement a solution that suits both parties.

Effective banking is important to a small business as it enables you to manage cash flow and payments without relying on visiting your bank branch. By understanding the world of online banking better you will be able to manage your banking business safely and securely.

Communication is key in every business, and one of the newest and quickest ways to communicate is by Instant Messaging (IM). This Guide sets out the benefits of IM to your business and how to implement IM.

This Guide explores the use of scanners to scan in copies of documents and helps you find a suitable model for your business.

The advent of specialised project management software means that you can now share project schedules, milestones and objectives with others online. This Guide outlines the benefits and tips on implementing a solution.

Document sharing is one of the key aspects of collaborative working. This Guide outlines the key benefits of sharing and collaborating on office documents and the steps to implementing a solution.

Paying staff accurately, effectively and on time is very important. Very small businesses with a couple of employees can probably use their accountant to setup a small payroll but as the business grows you will need to invest in a payroll management system. This guide explains how you can do that.

By securing your IT assets you will save yourself a significant amount of work if PCs are stolen. Many businesses have gone into liquidation following hardware theft, so the steps outlined in this Guide are vital for all small concerns.

The cost of printing documents has made many businesses consider what, when and how they are using printing facilities. This Guide will help you buy a printer to suit your business.

This Guide will help you to identity and list what of your business data needs securing.  By going through this process you can hopefully make sure nothing is forgotten about and protect you data from unauthorised access.

With computer hardware it is very tempting to buy the latest products each year. But is this a wise course of action? This Guide can help you upgrade your exisiting hardware.

For many people it is vital that they stay in touch with customers and partners even if they are away from the office. This Guide will show you how to connect to your business while on the move so that you can share files and documents.

Data security is a set of policies, procedures and tools designed to protect your data from unauthorised access. This Guide provides helpful advice basic of IT security so that you fully understand how security can protect your business.

Like many things prevention is better than cure. This Guide is designed to assist you understand the problems of losing business data when you are out and about and provide you with some tips to help secure this important information.

When starting a home office it is important that you have the correct equipment to work efficiently and effectively. This Guide will help you set up a home office ensuring that it is safe, secure and business friendly.

Networks can significantly boost the computing and communications capacity of your business. This Guide provides an overview of networking terminology and its impact on your business.

Many people freely duplicate or copy software not realising that this is illegal and could lead to prosecution. When running a small business it is vital that we all stay within the law by purchasing legal software. This Guide explains the world of software licensing for small businesses.

Even in a small business it is possible to acquire a lot of stock. This is valuable cash that can be tied up for many months, maybe for years. This guide looks at how IT can help a small business manage their stock.

IT allows us to do more work in less time more effectively, or at least it should. Unfortunately IT is complex and as such you need to make sure that you have a good level of ongoing IT support to help take the pressure off you. This guide will help you get that level of support.

By using the internet to make phone calls you can bypass conventional phone companies and enjoy much cheaper rates. This Guide explains how you can make cheap calls using your PC.

The whole point of having a laptop PC is to travel with it. This guide will discuss important tips that will enable you to be safe and effective while using you PC on the move.

A spreadsheet is one of the most useful pieces of software for a small business. This Guide discusses the ways in which you can use a spreadsheet to manage your finanical data.

Email is one of the most important tools for your business so it's crucial that you understand the basics. This Guide will enable you to implement the right type of solution for your business.

The Royal Mail have developed a new way of paying for postage called SmartStamp, that can be as straightforward as using your computer and a printer. It is the only system available in the UK and will help you save money and time, so we will be exploring it in detail in this guide.

Templates are predefined document styles and layouts that give you a head start in writing attractive, professional and compelling content. This Guide discusses how you can improve my productivity and image using Office templates.

Virtual computing enables a business to make better use of their computer hardware investment. Traditionally virtual computing has been associated with large organisations streamlining their IT by consolidating servers.

Privacy is important for many people. The ability to browse the internet unhindered and in the knowledge that you are anonymous is quite compelling. The reality is different as many websites will track personal data. This guide explains web site privacy rules for small businesses.

Conducting business online is appealing for lots of small businesses as it enables them to reach a broader audience than otherwise possible. The problem with conducting e-business is that legal issues can escalate rapidly. This Guide explains the points you need to consider when trading online.