Running a business is all about keeping a check on the various costs associated with it. IT forms a major part of any business today and expenses towards buying software for the various functions of your business can be quite huge. So how exactly do you cut down (or do away with) this expenditure without affecting productivity? The answer to that is freeware, a term coined to denote free software. Here are two such software that your business can most certainly do with.
Ubuntu Linux
Granted that Windows is what most businesses use around the world but there is no running away from the fact that Microsoft charges a hefty price for letting businesses use its popular operating system. And if your business makes use of multiple PCs then the cost or licenses for Windows alone can be quite high.
On the other hand, Linux (on which Ubuntu is based) has no costs attached to it. Ubuntu has also come a long way from the time when it was mostly recommended for expert users only. Today, it’s a damn good operating system. Yes, there is quite a bit of visual difference between Windows and Linux but the cost saving is worth the effort your workforce might have to put in when making the transition. The compatibility of other software programs with Ubuntu has also greatly improved in the past few years. Almost every software program available for Windows also offers a Linux version. But the true benefit of Linux is visible when the OS is run on low-powered machines, something that Microsoft’s Windows fails to do so in an efficient manner.
Zimbra
Thunderbird from Mozilla is pretty much the only email client that’s putting up a fight against Microsoft’s Outlook. Those days, however, seem to be numbered now that the software has failed to keep up with Microsoft’s paid email client.
Thankfully, Zimbra has emerged as a viable freeware alternative for your business’s email client needs. The software does not skip on any essential part of a desktop email client. Some of its notable features include a mail interface, task lists, calendar, offline mode, and many more. If you want the social channels of your business to be monitored, Zimbra offers a feature for that purpose as well. It has a section that allows personnel to keep a watch on different social media like Facebook and Twitter. Business services like LinkedIn and WebEx are included in the mix as well.
Zimbra has support for IMAP and POP email protocols right out of the box. You also get support for Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, and AOL accounts besides Zimbra’s own server accounts.
Both the functions performed by the aforementioned freeware are of utmost importance to any business, which is all the more reason for you to try them out.
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