When you start a business on a shoestring budget, you’ll be looking to cut every corner you can. Startup costs can get out of hand very quickly. Office space, furniture, payroll, insurance, and computers are expensive. One method that many new and old businesses use to cut costs is implementing open source software.

There are literally hundreds of open source software solutions for small businesses. Everything from word processing and spreadsheets to invoices and accounting are covered. The great part is that most of this software is free.

Nothing in life is free right? The answer to that question is almost always yes, but this time let’s go with no. Open source software such as Open Office and GNUCash are free and fully supported by a community of developers, contributors, and support specialist like myself.

In this article we’ll examine some of the best open source software available. Some of the software is client based which means you’ll install it on your computer or workstations and some are web based.

For client based software all you need is a computer to install the software on. Web based software is slightly more complicated, but not impossible even with limited knowledge. Web hosting is required for web based software to work.

A key piece of software any company needs is an office suite. Open Office – http://tinyurl.com/kodg – comes complete with word processor, spreadsheet, database, and presentation applications that rival any proprietary software on the market. Open Office is client based so web hosting isn’t necessary.

The price for Open Office is $0 and you can install it on as many computers as needed. Updates and upgrades are regular and free. Compared to other popular office suites, most fetching a price of at least $400, and you can’t go wrong with Open Office.

Keep in mind that with proprietary software upgrades are never free and you have to purchase a license for each computer you wish to install the software on. A piece of software that costs around $500 that needs to be installed on multiple computers can cost a great deal.

GNUCash – (http://tinyurl.com/6c5xlw) – is a free personal and small business accounting solution. GNUCash can track anything from your personal bank account to vendors and invoices for your small business. GNUCash is client based so, again, web hosting isn’t needed.

We have two of the most important software choices out of the way. You can type a letter, build a spreadsheet, and keep up with your cash. Open Office comes with presentation software for selling new clients on a service or product, but what about editing the images for the presentation?

GimpShop – (http://tinyurl.com/cqg3ho) – is an open source solution for image editing. It has all the functionality of more expensive software, some as much as $1200, but at a much better price – free. GimpShop is client based software.

Bigger projects with multiple team members and resources need proper management. Openproj – (http://tinyurl.com/2eu3qs) – is a free project management solution. It opens existing Microsoft Project files. Openproj shares the industry’s most advanced scheduling engine and provides Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams (PERT Charts), WBS and RBS charts, Earned Value costing and more. Openproj is client based software.

Anti-virus software is one of the most important things every computer needs, but anti-virus can be expensive. ClamWin – (http://tinyurl.com/47gqw) – provides excellent anti-virus protection for free. Regular updates and community support ensure that ClamWin provides up-to-date virus protection. ClamWin is client based software.

Using these software titles instead of their proprietary rivals will save you thousands in startup costs not to mention the money you’ll save by not paying for upgrades or yearly license renewals.

Everything in this article is fully supported and easily installed. Most software titles mentioned here are available for both Windows and Linux platforms.

Desktop Applications

• The GIMP – Image Editor
• Mozilla Firefox – Web Browser
• Mozilla Thunderbird – Email
• OpenOffice.org – Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation and Database Management

GNU / Linux Distributions

• Debian – Very stable Linux distribution, recommended for servers
• IPCop – Firewall server distribution
• Ubuntu – All the latest and greatest features, recommended for the desktop

Server and CMS

• Apache – Web Server
• Drupal – Content Management System
• MySQL – Database
• Nagios – Server Monitoring
• PHP – Programming Language – great for web based applications

I use all of the software listed here. I also provide development and commercial support and training for all of the above.

With over 10 years of experience in technology, both web and IT based, I won’t use techie words or other jargon designed to make myself look more “in tune” with technology. I will explain things clearly, using plain English, so we both have a complete understanding of what you need now and where you’re IT will go in the future.

You can approach IT many ways, but many businesses approach it like a fireman – putting out fires instead of developing solutions to prevent the fires all together. That method of IT management can become overwhelming very quick.

I can work with you to look at your business needs now and into the future. This process will allow you to get a better idea of how much you are likely to spend on maintaining and updating your infrastructure. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get great results, but you do have to plan and look at current and future IT expenditures as investments.

I can help you look at almost any part of your business, which may include:

• Desktop PCs
• Servers
• Networking
• Websites and email
• Automating and improving processes
• Skills Development
• Resourcing
• Invoicing and Accounting
• Linux Workstations and Servers
• and much more …

Contact me today for a free consultation.

My open source customization initiatives provide end-to-end open source solutions to meet your enterprise needs. My solutions tone-down IT complexity and help you cut-down your eBusiness expenses through a diverse range of open source solutions.

I provide open source customization for OS Commerce sites, Joomla, Drupal, Mambo, Typo 3 and others.