There’s a very large range of different technological equipment that can greatly help your business to grow and perform. Whether it’s technology that helps with convenience or efficiency, here is a list of common office technology you didn’t know your business needs!

Network Printers

A network printer is a great piece of kit that every office should have. A network printer connects directly into a network port so that every device connected to your network will have access to it. Without a networked printer, you can simply plug a standard printer into a PC and use it that way. You can then share that printer over a network and add it manually to each machine – or simply have multiple printers for each user. This can be a big kerfuffle when you have multiple users in the same office, so it is much more efficient to install a network printer that can often be installed on users’ machines automatically. A network printer will also work out to be much more cost effective, as you will only have to purchase supplies for one printer. You will also only have the maintain the one printer and all your staff can be trained on the same device to help streamline your business processes.

VOIP Phones

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phones enable you to make phone calls using an internet connection, rather than the standard phone lines. VOIP phones will usually be connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable, and some handsets may even have PoE (Power over Ethernet) functionality, which means less wires. Using VOIP phones generally allows for multiple users to have different extensions so you can transfer calls between different members of staff, and you can also hold conference calls between all the connected devices at the touch of a button. Another handy feature with VOIP devices is their portability. You can plug it in to any internet connection point in the world and you’ll be able to use the phone as if it was in your office. Furthermore, it is also generally a lot cheaper to use VOIP phones than traditional landline handsets.

File Server

File servers are probably the greatest asset to any business. Instead of having files stored locally on one machine, you can have it stored on a file server that is connected to the network so that all your users can access and share files. This is much more efficient as you can then map network drives to each user’s computer, and centralise all the company’s documents so that they are easier to find. It is more efficient to have a file server rather than other alternatives such as drop box as it requires less time to set up on different machines, and doesn’t rely on having an internet connection to upload/download documents. You are also able to set very specific permissions on files and folders so that only the right people are seeing the right data within your company.

Remote Desktop Server

A remote desktop server is another fantastic asset that your company should definitely consider investing in. A remote desktop server will allow yourself and other users to connect in to the network and work remotely as if they were in the office. It is also more secure than working from home on a local machine, as all of your files will be stored on your company’s server, rather than locally on a machine that’s connected to a home network which may not be very secure. It could also work out to be more cost effective to implement a remote desktop solution as your company desktops and laptops don’t have to be all singing and dancing and can be a very basic machine as all of the work is done on the server.

If you would like some advice on what equipment your business should implement, or help with installing it, contact Affordable IT on 02380 000 770 or by email – it@aff-it.co.uk