Running a Business from Home: What Are My IT Options?

Anyone who wishes to run a business from their home can easily do nowadays, as you can run your business online, which very much changes everything. Indeed, more and more people are working remotely, which really does help reduce harmful emissions.  Whether you are using the converted loft, a stand-alone structure in the garden, or a spare room, your home office does need some basic IT hardware, which we will examine.

• Desktop PC – This will be your main investment, as this will be the computer that you use on a daily business, and unless you are into video editing or graphics work, a medium spec machine will do the job. As workstations are added in the future, you can create a network and using your Internet connection, all of the computers are connected, so file sharing is easy.

• High Quality Printer – Even if you can’t see yourself printing in colour, there will come a day when you are happy that you invested in a colour printer; one that print hi-res images. Any time you are looking for Brother HL L2350dw toner, there are online suppliers of all makes of printer toner and cartridges for all models, and a Google search will help you find a printing ink supplier. When investing in a printer, go for the top end of the scale, as quality is a big factor and this machine will be heavily used, especially at the outset, when lots of flyers, vouchers and promotional media are needed.

• Scanning Documents – Of course, there are times when you will need to scan documents, plus photocopying is another must, and you can buy a single device that scans and photocopies, which will save you money. Larger offices would take out a contract on a professional photocopier that can do just about everything, but as you are starting out, you can get by with a combo unit that simply plugs into your PC.

• Communication – Of course, communication is essential for every business and there are a number of ways to be connected to the outside world. Obviously, you will need a stable Internet connection, preferably Broadband, and some people use a phone landline, while others hotspot from their smartphone to give Internet access. It is better to have a landline, as this gives you fax options, plus people do expect to see a landline number when dealing with a company, and a digital Bluetooth headset is much more comfortable and convenient than the old telephone.

• Cloud Based Accounting – Starting a business today means you can forget paper; digitalise everything and store all of your data on the cloud, and with several back-ups in place, you will not require bulky filing cabinets. As you add computers to your office, they can be connected by creating a working group and that allows for multiple print to a single printer.

Whatever else you need in your office, you cannot afford to skimp on your IT hardware, as this is the very heart of your business, and with online office suppliers, you can have essential items delivered to your door.