Top office gadgets for home business

Running your home business smoothly

Today’s guest post investigates the office equipment that will make your home business life easier.
 
While it may seem a simple laptop is all you need to run a home business, there are plenty of gadgets out there to make running it far more efficient. From peripherals to communications, stocking up on tools can help you work far more efficiently – these are some of the top gadgets and electricals to look out for.

• Storage
  If your home business has a lot of data and information you may find that keeping files in one place soon becomes inconvenient – PC hard drives fill up quickly, and often it means that only one person has access to them. An external hard drive allows you to back up these files in case of loss or damage to a PC, and when properly networked can also mean that anybody in the office can access it at any time. Of course, if you tend to collaborate a lot, you could also look into Google Drive, a free cloud-based alternative.
• Printer
  Even in “paper-free” offices, a printer inevitably becomes a useful device to have around. Information becomes far easier to create and distribute, and people will generally retain information far better if they have a physical copy to refer to. Paper copies of financial transactions – even things like cashing up – are always useful, and invoicing other small businesses that are part of your network of suppliers may be appreciated more when done by paper rather than digitally.
• Shredder
  When you throw documents in the bin or in the recycling, what you’re essentially doing is throwing away your most sensitive home business information. It’s important to ensure that things like account numbers, addresses and personal details are kept secure, and investing in a shredder is the best way to do that. They’re also relatively inexpensive – check out Ebuyer’s range of shredders for an idea of how much you can get them for online. You can even get models which shred credit cards and CDs for increased security.
• Cordless phone
  Even if you use email and Skype or similar online services for most of your communications, a phone is still an essential device to have in the office as a primary means of contact for outsiders and customers or clients. A cordless phone will allow you to take calls from wherever you are in your office – especially useful if you are in a phone meeting and need to access documents or people in other parts of your work space. If you tend not to be in the office very often, getting a mobile phone connected to a landline number is a great way to ensure you don’t miss any opportunities that come along.
• Tablet
  Okay, so a tablet may not seem like a necessity as such, but it’s certainly one of the most sought-after gadgets in the business world, favoured by entrepreneurs and top CEOs alike. While you can manage without, you’ll soon wonder how you did, as a tablet allows you to view cloud-based information, make notes and diagrams on the move and even produce presentations, making it a great device for ad-hoc meetings and anybody looking for a lightweight portable office.