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At Work | Best Practices | Business Buying Guide | Ultimate Office
At Work | Best Practices | Business Buying Guide | Ultimate Office
Tech tips, picks, and tools for your business on your budget
Select an office
Select a budget
Build a cheap conference room
Your business is on a shoestring budget, so the corner cafe is your conference room. You need to be ready to meet anywhere, at any time, on the cheap. It also helps to have ready access to a constant supply of coffee and a free Internet connection (use CNET's office tools to find a hot spot nearby). You don't need a ton of tech equipment at this point--just the basics.
CNET editors say:
These products are ESSENTIAL for your conference room.
These inexpensive notebooks deliver the minimum performance, features, and connections you need without all the stuff you don't.
Meetings with your investors can't always occur in person. If fancy conference phones are beyond your budget, try one of these mobiles.
If your business requires frequent meetings with far-flung clients, check out one of these online Web conferencing services.
This product is NICE TO HAVE for your conference room.
You don't have the resources, time, or money to fly all over the globe meeting clients face-to-face, so use a Webcam to put a face with the name.
CNET community says
What technology do you depend on for holding a good meeting?
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holding good meetings?
CNET office tools
Free tools to help you
set up your office
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Find a Wi-Fi hot spot near you.
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Bandwidth meter
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Enter your area codeAdditional resources
Best practices
Web conferencing the smart way
Online meetings are more cost-effective than face-to-face sessions. But not all Web conferencing features are ready for prime time. Which tools are best for you?
CNET's how-to
Record a meeting
Get the scoop on the right gear and free software, whether you're recording a sales pitch or a friend's band at a dive bar.
Tech you can expense
Get Uncle Sam to work for you
It's true: if you're a small-business owner, the IRS can help you buy a computer, a TV, and even an MP3 player.
Additional resources
Web conferencing the smart way
Online meetings are more cost-effective than face-to-face sessions. But not all Web conferencing features are ready for prime time. Which tools are best for you?
CNET's how-to
Record a meeting
Get the scoop on the right gear and free software, whether you're recording a sales pitch or a friend's band at a dive bar.
Tech you can expense
Get Uncle Sam to work for you
It's true: if you're a small-business owner, the IRS can help you buy a computer, a TV, and even an MP3 player.
Building the ultimate office: from start-up to skyscraper
Conference room
Products
Additional resources
- Best practices: Web conferencing the smart way
- CNET's how-to: Record a meeting
- Tech you can expense: Get Uncle Sam to work for you
Home office
Products
Additional resources
- Show Us Yours: Home office
- Insider Secrets: Three things to do with your old PC
- Digital Home DIY: Set up a wireless network
Hotel room
Products
Additional resources
- Best practices: Stay in a hotel with free Wi-Fi
- Insider Secrets: Wi-Fi the right way
- Show Us Yours: What's inside your home office?
Airplane
Products
Additional resources
- Best practices: Book your trip online
- Get the Picture: Packing your bags preflight: power and portability
- Best practices: Get work done at the airport
Boss's office
Products
- Start-up: Budget laptop, PDA, phone, VoIP service
- Growing: PDA/phone, RSS reader, desktop, LCD
- Mature: High-end laptop, PDA/phone, mouse/keyboard, HDTV
Additional resources
- Insider Secrets: Streamline your Web browsing with RSS
- Weekend Project: Double your display power: add a second monitor
- Internet phones: Cut costs with Internet calling
- Works for Me: Too much of a good thing
Utility closet
Products
Additional resources
- Weekend Project: Share files and printers across your network
- CNET business buying guide: Networking and wireless
- Show Us Yours: What networking gear do you have?
- Security Center: Protect the integrity of your network
Cubicle
Products
Additional resources
- Insider Secrets: The best software is free software
- Weekend Project: Add a second monitor to your PC
- Works for Me: A change from default settings will do you good
- Insider Secrets: Make the most of your keyboard
Car
Products
- Start-up: Company cars on a budget, Best basic phones, PDAs for newbie road warriors, Budget laptops for mobile businesses
- Growing: Cars with growth potential, Laptops for growing mobile businesses, Smart phones, GPS navigation
- Mature: Executive cars, Bluetooth cell phones, Stylish laptops for mobile executives
Additional resources
- Insider Secrets: Geek your car
- Show us yours: High-tech payload
- Best practices: Literate listening with Audible.com
Where do you work?
Start-up:
Tech for a tight budget
Conference room, Home office, Hotel room, Airplane, Boss's office, Utility closet, Cubicle, CarGrowing:
Best tech per dollar
Conference room, Home office, Hotel room, Airplane, Boss's office, Utility closet, Cubicle, CarMature:
Tech to impress
Conference room, Home office, Hotel room, Airplane, Boss's office, Utility closet, Cubicle, Car
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