Small Office Technology Integration. The small office no longer has to look or act “small”. Today’s technology advances are well within the reach of even the most limited budget. It is easy to have the convenience of networked computers and devices such as printers, fax machines, network storage devices at your fingertips.
Printing & Faxing. Long gone are the days when everyone has their own desktop printer. One networked printer or multifunction device (printer/scanner/fax) does it all. This can save a considerable amount of money on having to stock printer consumables for several different printers. Plus, faxing directly from your PC is easy…unless you needed to go get that cup of coffee anyhow. 
File Sharing. Perhaps you have been just “getting by” with a few computers, sharing files between them. This is pretty easy to accomplish, even for the lay computer user. However what usually happens is that such files are never backed up locally, much less backed up offsite to protect your business from disaster such as lightning strikes, flood, fires, etc.
For very little cost you can have an actual “server” PC that can store your files. The files can easily be backed up to a USB drive that can (and should!) be taken offsite for safety. How can I say “for very little cost”? There are a multitude of free or extremely low-cost server products based on Linux.
Linux is an open-source operating system that is based on the time-tested product called UNIX. “Open-source” means the source code (the underlying code that is compiled to produce the actual operating system) is open to inspection and improvement. While this may sound very unsafe, it is actually a proven model by which powerful programs are created and maintained by a community of open source programmers.
Open-source software is all around you. Linux and others like it (Open BSD, based on Berkley Software Design’s flavor of UNIX) are used in cell phones, ATM machines, computer kiosks, banking systems, stock trading, etc.
Consequently, there are numerous Linux server products that run quite well on an older desktop PC. Add some decent storage (hard drives), some hardware for redundancy (inexpensive add-in card), install the software…and bam! You have a server ready to be installed on your network for simple file storage and sharing. Run a backup process once a week (either automatic or manual) to copy files to a USB drive and your offsite backup is ready to follow you out the door on Friday afternoon!
If you run a system such as Quickbooks, a simple PC running Windows XP or better can be used as a server for up to five Quickbooks client computers. This is a great way to expand your capabilities to work with multiple client files in an office where more than one person needs access through Quickbooks.
Building Security & Automation. Webcam-style security cameras are readily available that can help you secure your operation, or perhaps just keep tabs on what is going on. These cameras connect to your network and give you the opportunity to simply view the camera output, or record it to your computer for archival. This is great for storefronts and operations where people and assets need to be protected.
Many building control systems have interfaces for networking, especially relatively new equipment. It’s possible to control lighting, HVAC, alarm systems, and more.
If it is related to Office Technology, NelsonTek can help you get there!