Benefits of computer system is a business
In an age of booming technology, running a business without computers is like trying to breathe without lungs. Like it or not, technology has become an integral part of the way business is done. Even if you perform services or provide products which are not technology related in and of themselves -- such as dry cleaning and hairstyling -- you may find that without a computer, it's difficult to place orders with suppliers or pass information to your accountant.
Running a small business is hard work, but having the right tools at your disposal can make the job less difficult. Choosing the right computer system means you can share resources easily, save and back-up critical files and reduce the number of printers needed in the office. You should consider several factors when purchasing a computer system for a small business, and it is important to look at each component carefully.
Role of a computer in business
The computer plays many roles in business, including communications, data storage and data analysis. Additionally, the computer can save businesses money through making employees more efficient and providing tools that without a computer would cost too much money. Businesses use computers for communications across a number of types of people, such as between employees, between the business and its customers, and between a business and its suppliers. One major advantage of computer communication is that it is often asynchronous, which means that communication can happen even if one person is not available by telephone. Additionally, computers can store huge amounts of data that, if printed, would take rooms and rooms full of file cabinets (this is one way in which computers help save trees). It is also easy to find particular data or to pull two data sets together using a computer; this would consume a lot of time with paper records in a file cabinet
Inventory Management
Retail and wholesale business have increasingly come to rely on computers' advanced ability to keep track of inventory and assist in ordering more when stocks get low. This allowed them not to carry too much or too little of any particular item as well as to save on the manpower required to manage much of the supply chain. However, businesses of all sizes use inventory management and point of sales systems to do smaller scale versions of the same thing.
Presentations and Documents
While it's still possible to find a typewriter at a garage sale, the days of typed papers and documents are dead and gone. Word processing is a must in today's business environment. Not only are computers the medium for document creation, but the ability to email and share documents electronically has become central to the editing, approval and delivery process. Similarly, presentations and reports are commonly delivered in electronic slide show presentations. Creators must use programs, such as PowerPoint, to create them as this is the standard for modern business.
Choosing the best computer system for your business
Ensure that each computer in the system has a hard drive with a minimum of 60 gigabytes of storage. Most modern computers have at least this much, so finding one should not be a problem. Workers who do a lot of video or audio work should have a hard drive with a higher capacity, since they may need to store files locally before moving them up to the network. Those workers should have a hard drive with a capacity of at least 250 gigabytes to 500 gigabytes.
Compare the amount of memory in each system, and make sure every computer you buy has at least 1 gigabyte to 2 gigabytes of random-access memory available. You can always buy additional memory and upgrade the systems, but the labour costs to open each box and install the memory can be high.
Consider the software that is included with each system you look at. The software costs can be steep for business computers, so a slightly more expensive system with an office suite included might be a better value.