2 “Must Haves” For Your Business Computer

If you are running a home office or small business, your computer is no longer just a toy – it’s a vital part of your business. What happens to your business if your computer is down for a week or, worse yet, all your business data is lost forever?

There are two things you must have on a business computer… an Internet security suite and a data backup system.

A security suite contains, at its core, a software firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware. There will be add-ons like Identity Theft protection, spam protection and parental control, but the main things you NEED are the first three.

Now, you can search the web and come up with free versions of all three, but you are in business. The cost of a security suite is a business expense and it’s only $50-$60 per year (and that’s usually for up to 3 computers). How much would it cost you if your business computer was down for a day or a week? We recommend spending the money on a complete suite.

The two best ones out there are Symantec’s “Norton Internet Security” and ZoneLabs “ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite” Norton just slightly edged out ZoneAlarm in the latest PC Magazine runoff, but we’ve recently switched from Norton to ZoneAlarm.

If you have more than one computer on broadband, ZoneAlarm even offers a router with its software installed on it, saving you the hassle of adding it to every computer!

The second “must have” is a backup system. Just think what would happen to your business if your hard drive craps out and you have no backup system in place. Correspondence, email, pictures, accounting data… all gone!

And I’m talking “off-site” backup, not just to a DVD or an external hard drive that sits next to your computer. What happens if your house or business is broken into or, God forbid, burns down? Where’s your data now?

Backup space on the Internet is cheap now. The only problem is the time it takes to upload all or your data to the web.

And make sure your email is included in your backups! It’s usually buried in some hidden folder outside of your “My Documents” folder. Use a backup program that easily includes your email when backing up.

There’s more that you need to know about your business computer, but these are the two MUST HAVES. Secure your base before you do business online.