Essential Hardware and Software for the Home-Based Office

Making the adjustment to your home office can be challenging. It is important to remember that setting up a home office is often a trial and error process, as you may find your initial setup isn't optimal for what you are actually doing. The following is a list of the most essential technologies you should implement in your home office to maximize your business and to ensure that the transition to working from home is enjoyable as it should be.

Wireless Router

If you use more than one computer in your home office, such as having a mobile laptop for outside business and a stationary computer, using a wireless router to establish a wireless network will make transferring and syncing data between the two computers that much more efficient. A wireless router will also make it easier to backup data from both computers to a centralized, network storage drive. This also gives you the flexibility to make your entire home your office, as you can access the network anywhere in your home.

All-In-One Printer

All-in-one printers can take care of most of your office printing needs, including making copies, sending faxes, scanning documents and typical print jobs. You can take this one step further by using a wireless all-in-one printer, which gives you the flexibility to situate your printer in the most convenient location. The wireless printer will also allow you to print from any computer connected to your home network. This is particularly helpful if you have different programs installed on each computer. For example, if you do have a laptop that you use for business outside of the home, you may not wish to store personal data on this device.

Secure Automatic Backup Service

Utilizing a web-based, secure automatic backup service will ensure that your business' vital information is always safe and accessible. By storing your data off-site, you are ensuring protection against both theft and natural disasters.

Smartphone

Smartphones can not only connect you to the Internet, they can also keep you connected to the majority of your data, found in spreadsheets, address books and appointments. There are also many valuable apps, many of which are free, that can help you streamline your business, locate products or sales or alert you of any relevant industry changes.

Dual Monitors

Utilizing dual monitors on a computer allows you to easily view and compare large amounts of data, as you can easily drag windows back and forth between your monitors. Being able to view data in this way can greatly increase efficiency, once you have optimized your monitor settings to compliment your viewing preferences. This also allows you to have a landscape justified monitor and a portrait justified monitor, which could allow greater ease in viewing certain spreadsheets or digital images.