If you run a small or home-based business, you don't need
to be told that every penny counts. But you've also probably learned by
now that even when it comes to products or services that seem expensive,
it's always better to spend the money once on something good.
With
that in mind, here are 15 products and services that we feel have the
potential to help your business do great things. (Note: All prices
indicate MSRP; you should pay significantly less.)
--
Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop 5000 and Optical Mouse
3000 ($105) make it easier than ever to go wireless at your desk.
The duo offer four-way, silky-smooth scrolling and a wide variety of
programmable hot keys, among lots of other features.
--
US Modular's
100GB Dragon Drive ($279) is a palm-sized USB 2.0 portable drive
made for those who travel on business. Not only is it tiny (less than an
inch thick), but it's powered entirely via a USB or FireWire connection
to a host computer. The Dragon Drive also comes in smaller-capacity
sizes starting at $99.
-- Using
Ergotron's LX
Desk Mount Arm series (starting at $169) is like having a monitor
or TV that always knows how and where you want to be situated. A
proprietary lift-and-pivot method makes the Ergotron easily able to put
your display where you can use it, whether you're sitting or
standing.
--
Other World
Computing's 120GB FireWire/USB 2.0 Mercury On-the-Go portable drive
for Macintosh ($350) runs at 5,400 RPM and includes an 8MB cache for
fast and reliable performance. If your company works with
high-resolution audio or video and needs a trusty portable solution,
look no further.
--
JacksonBackup's
Armor Card ($80) lets business owners and IT pros have total control
of the content on their PCs. The Windows-compatible PCI card safeguards
your program files and settings, allowing you to tinker with your OS or
allow Web surfing without worrying that you can't get back to your PC's
default settings.
--
Palo Alto
Software's Business Plan Pro 2006 ($130) has the Small Business
Administration's seal of approval, and for good reason. The new version
updates one of the most highly-regarded small-biz software packages with
more than 9,000 industry profiles, advanced export tools, easy import
from QuickBooks, and over 500 sample business plans.
--
E-Book Systems
FlipAlbum 6 Pro ($160) is tailor-made for professional
photographers. It can automatically create book-like albums with an
intuitive interface. Albums can be burned onto CDs to distribute to
clients and prospects, who will be able to flip through them as they
would a real photo album. The program also lets you encrypt your photos,
set passwords and expiry dates, disable printing, and add
watermarks.
--
Sun's Java Desktop System ($100 per desktop) is for companies that
want Windows-compatible performance from their PCs without the expense
or security headaches. It combines the best of open-source innovation
with Sun's muscle behind it, giving users the option of deploying the
same desktop environment on Sun workstations, Sun Ray ultra-thin
clients, or one of many non-Sun notebook and desktop systems with
standard x86-based architectures.
--
eFax's online fax
service (ranging from a free limited service to a full-featured
$20-per-month version) that, the company says, eliminates the need for a
fax machine, an extra fax line, and all the associated expenses. If
someone sends a fax to your eFax number--which can be your existing fax
number--it simply arrives at your in-box as an e-mail
attachment.
--
Brother's HL
line of personal laser printers (from $150 to $2,000) range from the
HL-2040, which is strictly for occasional color work, to the workhorse
HL-4200CN, which boasts 26-page-per-minute speed, 1200x1200dpi
resolution, automatic duplex printing, and more, making it great for
hardcore graphics shops.
--
Xerox's
DocuMate 262 scanner ($1,300) isn't cheap, but it's crucial if your
business involves the mass digitization of paper documents. Its OCR
characteristics are second to none, and it scans documents at a
mind-blowing 33 sheets per minutes--or twice that in duplex mode. It
also has super-simple one-touch ability to send scanned documents to a
variety of applications, either as text files or searchable
PDFs.
--
GotVMail's VirtualOne hosted PBX service (starting at $10 per month)
gives mobile workers a dedicated toll-free or local number that acts
like a switchboard and gives the appearance of a big office where there
might be no office at all.
-- Another precautionary security tool,
Delta
Insights' Silent Sword ($50) takes a different approach to virus and
malware prevention: It maintains a regularly updated list of trusted
programs, and locks everything else out. It works seamlessly with all
firewalls and routinely scans an entire system in less than 30 seconds.
--
Belltech Small Business Publisher 2.0 ($50 for a single
license) is a designing and printing package made especially for SMBs,
helping beginner and intermediate users to make flyers, envelopes,
letterhead, and lots more.
Keith Mansfield writes from Mt.
Laurel, N.J.
