Small businesses don't have the budgets or luxury to buy expensive licences for all the tools and software they need.
With that in mind, I've put together a list of 10 free technology tools and software. Some are available through open source, GNU general public licence (intended to guarantee freedom to share and change all versions of software and programs) or in beta version and others have offered a "freemium" model that offers users a free lighter version, and upgrades as their needs and budgets grow.
I have left out social media and related tools, which will be featured in a future article.
Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts). This service keeps you in the loop about industry news and other information relevant to your business. Simply enter keywords or terms you want to track and Google will email you the latest relevant news about that topic. This is a great way to track media mentions about your company or your competition.
CardMunch (www.cardmunch.com). Recently bought by LinkedIn, this free iPhone app automatically converts a business card into a digital contact file stored in your phone. Simply take a photograph of the business card and the image is transmitted to a team of human transcribers at LinkedIn, which sends you back a detailed, accurate contact file for your phone. It will even show you the LinkedIn profile information and connections you have in common. It's not yet available to Android or BlackBerry users.
PrimoPDF (www.primopdf.com). You don't need Adobe Acrobat software to create PDFs. PrimoPDF allows you to create PDFs from any application by "printing" to the PrimoPDF printer. Convert documents from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and virtually any other printable file type.
Foxit Reader (www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads). An alternative to Acrobat Reader, Foxit has added features that allow you to make annotations and fill out PDF forms. Some people prefer SumatraPDF for its simplicity and because the program is small and portable on a USB drive.
Sysinternals Suite (technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals). This group of Microsoft-sponsored system tools allows users to diagnose and troubleshoot PC/network issues. Non-technical people may find it a bit complicated, but it's worth a try before paying for a technician to do the fix.
Microsoft Security Essentials (windows.microsoft.com/mse). Many small businesses fail to protect themselves because they try to save money and don't install the proper anti-virus, anti-spyware or anti-malware software. Norton Anti-Virus, Kaspersky and others can be expensive when you add up the licence cost for each computer.
MSE is free for up to 10 PCs. It's also designed to be simple to install and easy to use. It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you don't have to worry about interruptions or installing updates.
Some independent studies have shown it to be as effective as the paid software, but others say it's not as effective.
If a small business is going to skimp on security, MS Security Essentials is definitely better than having no security software.
Password Safe (passwordsafe.sourceforge.net). With the numerous passwords businesses have these days for all the websites and programs they are subscribed to, a convenient and secure place to store login information is essential.
Password Safe stores all your usernames and passwords in an encrypted file you unlock with a single "master password."
GIMP (www.gimp.org). An alternative to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP can be used for expert quality photo retouching, image composition and image format conversion. It can also be used as a simple paint program. •
