Tip of the Week: Five Programs No User Should Be Without

There are countless applications and programs available for your business’ workstations, but do you know which ones you absolutely shouldn’t be without? You’ll want to make sure that you have the following programs installed on your business’s workstations. Doing so can drastically improve productivity and efficiency.

A Word Processor
The Microsoft Office Suite has shown how important software such as spreadsheet builders and slideshow builders are in a business environment, but perhaps the most important of the bunch is the word processor. Organizations need the ability to create and edit documents on their workstations, which is a trend that isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Depending on your needs, SCW can equip your business with the perfect word processing solution.

An Antivirus Program
Security has always been important in the business world, but never has it been more so than today. If you aren’t running an antivirus solution on your computer, you’re playing with fire. All it takes is a small threat slipping through to bring down your entire infrastructure and expose data to risky situations. It helps to have an enterprise-level firewall and antivirus solution implemented on your network, as well as other preventative measures such as spam blocking and content filtering.

A Voice Communication System
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is growing more popular in the business environment, and for good reason. It allows your business to communicate both internally or externally by way of using the Internet connection to transmit your voice. In essence, it’s a type of telephony solution that uses your Internet connection rather than a traditional phone infrastructure. You also get to lose all of the complex cabling and packaged services that you might not be getting a full return out of. Your VoIP solution should be easily accessible for your employees, including when they are on the road or working remotely.

Cloud-Based Email
Does your organization rely on email? Perhaps you have an email client locally on your device, but that doesn’t necessarily help you when you want to access it from somewhere other than the office. If you implement a cloud-based email program on your infrastructure, you’ll be able to access it from any connected device, including a laptop or smartphone.

Remote Access VPN Client
Remote access software is important for your organization for two reasons. For one, you will be providing your employees a way to access their work desktops while out of the office, which allows them to get more done, even when they aren’t in-house. This can mean a world of difference when it comes to meeting deadlines. This means setting up a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) within your infrastructure that employees can easily and securely log into.

Furthermore, with remote access software on your computer, you open the doors for IT support to be more effective than ever before. Instead of driving on-site to offer support, techs can take a look at the system through the remote access software, as well as implement software updates and patches.

Does your business need any of these software solutions? If so, reach out to us at (509) 534-1530. Our trusted technicians will work with your business to find the best software for your organization.