After months of meetings, planning, and sleepless nights, the day has finally arrived: it’s time to move into your new office. In addition to adding decorations and other personal touches to make the place your own, you’ll also need the latest tech to keep your business at the top of the game. Even if you don’t consider yourself a tech guru, here’s some basic but essential technology to help you get started.
A Reliable Computer
Before you buy a new computer for your business, consider what exactly you’ll be using it for, and that should help you get on the right track.
If you’ll be using your computer to check email and complete other everyday tasks, check out Intel’s y-Series Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, which are used to make portable yet durable laptops. For a small but powerful laptop, Forbes recommends the Lenovo Yoga 920, which can be turned into a touch-screen tablet. To run video editing or engineering programs, PC Magazine supports an Intel Xeon or Intel Core i7 or i9 processor. If you’re looking for a computer with these capabilities, take a look at the HP Spectre x360 15T or ThinkPad X1 Extreme Mobile Workstation.
A Heavy-Duty Printer
Although many tasks are now done digitally, a printer is still an essential staple to any office. Just like with computers, there is a wide range of options depending on your business’s needs. The Balance listed the Brother MFC-L8900CDW business color laser all-in-one printer as the overall best business printer of 2019, with its 250-page printing capacity and the ability to print up to 33 pages per minute.
If your business requires specialized printing, the Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Wireless Color Professional Inkjet Printer took first place for printing photos, and the HP DesignJet T120 was number one for large-format printing.
High-Speed Network
Having a reliable, high-speed internet network is essential to running your business, so don’t gloss over this step. After completing a thorough review of the country’s top internet service providers, Business.org chose Verizon as the overall best business internet service. AT&T Business came in a close second with four out of five stars and the best customer service.
When choosing your provider, it is wise to take into account how much speed they offer. If you’re only going to have one or two users connected to your internet, you’ll need a rate of about 5 Mbps, but with 20 to 30 connected users, you’ll need 500 Mbs.
Data Security Software
The threat of cyberattacks and data breaches looms over all businesses big and small, but you can minimize the danger to your business by choosing the right data security software. Business.org named Frontpoint the overall best business security system. In a 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon found that 75 percent of come from external (rather than internal) sources, and 58 percent of data breach victims were small businesses. To keep your business safe, Forbes recommends regularly checking and updating your website and security system manually.
A Website
These days, a business’s website is the digital version of a brick-and-mortar storefront. Even if yours is not the Versailles of sites, it’s still essential to maintain a digital presence. Your website can be basic and list the contact information for your business and can be made through a site like Wix for free.
If you plan to sell merchandise, consider a site like Shopify, which allows you to sell your products quickly and easily. If you want to have a content-heavy site with blog posts and photos, check out WordPress, which has both custom and template themes.
On-Call IT Support
Lastly, it would be best if you had a reputable IT support team on deck. With all of these new devices, you will likely encounter problems, so it’s crucial to have an IT support team that will come to you. When moving into your new office, you will need to consider:
- Server installation services,
- Wireless router and firewall configuration,
- Reliable data backup services and solutions, and
- Outsourced IT support.
So, get your office up and running by finding the right technology and services for your new business. Not sure where to start? Begin with the essentials and start looking for the right technology, IT support, and how to find laptop service near me.
