Jonathan Blum
To paraphrase Roy Batty from Blade Runner: "Time to buy."
2008 is the year your small business should consider purchasing one of the new generation of office automation software packages now flooding the market. Microsoft(MSFT Quote - Cramer on MSFT - Stock Picks) is shilling its new Business Contact Manager as part of Microsoft Office 2007. Apple(AAPL Quote - Cramer on AAPL - Stock Picks) is in play with Microsoft Office for Mac 2008, which is expected to be a big part of the upcoming MacWorld show. Web-based business software outfits such as NetSuite and Salesforce.com are offering small-business riffs on their software. NetSuite in particular is offering a splashy IPO based in part on its high expectations for the small-business market. And that ignores the swarm of start-ups offering similar tools, such as Basecamp, Dabble Db and Zoho DB & Reports ... you get the picture. If the fact that your competitors will be running one of these systems is not enough to scare you into action, try this: As this economy of ours drags into a recession, the clients we have left will pay slower. Our costs will rise, and our profits will get squeezed. Now is the time to find every efficiency you can. Business automation is as good a shot as you have for staying in the game. Here, then, are my three rules to choosing the right business software package:
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