The 30.7 million small businesses in the U.S. employ nearly half of the workforce. Most of these small businesses employ fewer than 20 people.

If you’re a business owner, you know that your employees rely on you to support their livelihoods. Your staff might be small, but you still need the same kind of business technologies large corporations use.

The problem is, technology isn’t cheap. You need to know which technologies are vital to your success and which ones you can skip.

Read on to learn which technologies you need to make your operation run smoothly.

1. Accounting Software

No matter what type of business you have, you need to keep track of your budget. While an Excel spreadsheet is a helpful tool, it doesn’t have all the accounting capabilities you need. You also need to track payments, send invoices, and get a sense of your cash flow.

With accounting software, you can handle all of these tasks in one place. FreshBooks and QuickBooks Online are popular programs among business owners.

2. Human Resources Software

As a small business owner, you need HR but you might not have the budget to hire an HR person. Luckily, the right software can help you track employee time sheets, vacation, continuing education, and benefits.

Plus, your employees will appreciate that they can find everything they need in one spot.

3. Cloud Backups for Your Business Data

Whether you keep client profiles, medical files, or budget information for your business, you need a safe place to store it. You might think that hard copies and hard drive storage is enough. But, hard copies can get stolen or damaged and computers can get hacked.

With cloud backup storage, you’ll know that your data is safe. If something happens at your office, you can access your data right away without missing a beat. Plus, you won’t need filing cabinets or a large server in your office, which will free up valuable square footage.

4. Website Management Tools

In 2017, nearly 45% of business owners didn’t have a website. Customers might search for your business online before they call or visit in person. If there’s no website for them to look at, they might move along to your competitors.

Now that building a website is easier and more affordable than ever, there’s no excuse not to have one. You can go the DIY route with Shopify or SquareSpace or hire a marketing company to do it for you.

5. Communication Technology

Your exact needs will depend on your line of work and your staff, but all businesses need a way to communicate. Your staff needs to communicate with your clients and your employees need to talk to one another.

You might need a business phone system, email software, Google Hangouts, Slack, or some combination of all of them. Decide what business technology you think would be most effective and go from there.

Consider Adding These Business Technologies to Your Operation

Business technologies can help you stay on top of your finances, improve your data security, and grow your customer base. While we’ve outlined some of the most helpful technologies, you’ll need to decide what’s right for your business.

If you’re in need of IT support or managed IT solutions, we can help. At Inception Network Strategies, we specialize in helping small businesses with their tech needs. Contact us today to find out how we can help.