App-y Days for Start-ups

by Carlo Pandian

Technology has changed rapidly in the last twenty years since the invention of the internet. Back in the 90s the creaky clicking, and often unwilling modem, didn’t seem to really offer much promise. They worked, mostly, but they worked slowly; now most of them are (thankfully) in the great scrap yard in the sky. Here we are in the second decade of the century and all of that is ancient history; today we’re tweeting and chirping endlessly and, for business, the revolution in internet and mobile technology is providing endless opportunities. This is particularly the case for start-ups and the range of apps available to help your business grow (while on the move) is growing daily. Here is just a small sample of the most useful ones.

Tracking Devices

Not necessarily a time saver, but certainly useful, is Google Latitude. This allows you to locate people via GPS technology, which helps you to keep track of where your employees actually are, as opposed to where they say they are, or are meant to be! With many small businesses relying on staff being in the right place at the right time, Latitude offers you some certainty that all is going to plan; it can also help if things have gone a little awry!

Money Micro-Management

MyBizTracker from Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks online accounting software for start-ups small business, is an excellent little app for keeping an eye on the pennies. Looking after the pennies is indeed a well-known way of letting the pounds to do what they do best. The app allows you to record your income and expenses, keeping a live tally of what’s going in and what’s going out. Being a start-up expert means that Intuit have designed the app to be suited best to this type of firm and they’ve also taken the trouble to ensure it’s been built in line with government guidance.

Cloudy Thinking 

It should be no great surprise that Google provides a range of apps for business. Despite the unfortunate nickname that Gmail got for itself a little while ago (G-fail), the apps offer the confidence that you’d expect from a market dominating global leader. Google Drive is document storage and back up service that’s proving increasingly popular with many people, for both personal and business document back-up and storage. The app version makes documents available via your phone, meaning that you should never be caught without that essential document at that crucial meeting ever again.

School for Startups needs an app designer!

The Pocket Cloud

Yes, one of those that does what it says on the tin; the tin in this case being your mobile phone. The Pocket Cloud allows users to create a single view of all their computers on the phone and, of course, on the go. This is an incredibly useful tool for small firms who operate with a number of computers and laptops and means that you’ll not find yourself stuck with the wrong computer in the wrong place; or at least if you are you can get at the machine’s contents with no hassle.
Apart from a growing range of apps specifically designed for business, many others can be of use too. SKYPE is an excellent example, designed more for personal use originally it’s a handy tool to cut down on business costs and travel, allowing conferencing and meetings to be held remotely.

Author:
Carlo Pandian is a freelance writer and blogs about accountancy, social media and start-ups covering everything from tutorials on online accounting software to productivity tools. From bookkeeping software to SKYPE communication tools there are a range of excellent apps that help to keep you and your business on the move.