Productivity Software


The Best Back Office Software for Running Your Business

Last month we told you the best options for front office software. This month we asked the experts to weigh in on back office software to improve your business operations.

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How to Create a Great PowerPoint Presentation

Are you guilty of information overload? Do you abuse Clip Art? Here, the experts weigh in on how to create a pitch-perfect PowerPoint presentation.

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An Archiving Service for Google Apps

Backupify is a new service that backups your Google Apps data.

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The New Microsoft Office Suite

Google Docs, meet Office 2010.

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4 Great PowerPoint Tools

New ways to make your presentations yawn-proof

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Recent Articles about Productivity Software

What Would You Do to Avoid a PowerPoint Presentation?

A new survey suggests people will go to great lengths to avoid PowerPoint presentations, either giving them or listening to them.  Read more

The Best New Android Apps for Business

Google's Android Market features 10,000 apps. Here are our four favorites  Read more

Doc or Docx? Which Office Format to Use

For those using older versions of Microsoft Word, or other non-Microsoft word processing software, the new .docx format can be a real pain. It has caused dis...  Read more

Outlook 2010: 5 Handy Features

Yesterday, representatives from Microsoft visited the Inc. offices to give a detailed preview of the Office 2010 suite, which is due out this spring. Here...  Read more

New Document Sharing Tool

Today, Central Desktop announced a new collaboration tool that lets you save, edit, and share Microsoft Office documents in the cloud. The service is simi...  Read more

Tech Talk: Ad Agency Migrates to Web App

A 250-person advertising agency based in the southeastern U.S. recently switched its workforce from a traditional software office suite to a Web-based applic...  Read more

How to Use Google Apps to Improve Your Business

Google has generated plenty of buzz with its cloud-based office suite. Here's the rundown on its features and how you can use them to upgrade your company.  Read more

Cheap Alternatives to PowerPoint

These three presentation tools, SlideRocket, Zoho Show, and Impress are like PowerPoint, only free  Read more

Doing More IT with Less Money

The recession is driving small businesses to make tough choices when it comes to IT -- deferring upgrades, cutting back on outside consultants and in some ca...  Read more

Top 10 Free Apps and Services for Business

Especially with the economy down in the dumps, there's never been a better time for businesses to look for free applications and services. And the fact that ...  Read more

Cloud Computing: Freedom to Be Productive

Communications and collaboration through Web-based applications can help small businesses not only get the job done, but save money as well.  Read more

Design PowerPoint Slides for Smart Phones

Remember how bad big-screen movies looked on TV before broadcasters came up with formats to make sure everything fit? By following a few simple rules, it’s...  Read more

Notebook View: How Do I Love Thee

When I learned about the Microsoft Office program called OneNote, I thought my dream had come true. OneNote allows you to keep dozens of documents in one ...  Read more

Credit Card Cuts and the Rise of Local Currency

Card providers slash limits. The WSJ has some disturbing examples of how cr...  Read more

You have MSProject, But Can You Use It?

Everyone has Microsoft Project, but few can get it configured to the point where they can actually deliver a project on time. This Read more

Office 2003 Files Inaccessible For Some

Here's a glitch that could wreck your day! Microsoft documents from the Office 2003 version may suddenly be inaccessible to you. A glitch was disc...  Read more

Google Launches Apps Team Edition

The move allows employees to collaborate using Google Apps.  Read more

Voice Mobility, Google Provide Unified Communications

UCN Vmerge for Google Apps is designed to boost productivity.  Read more

New Tools for the Mobile Presenter

Increasingly, your staff is making presentations on the go -- either at conferences, with clients, or even one-to-one in airport lounges. Here are new techno...  Read more

Free Tech Programs on the Web that Work

Rather than cough up cash for pay software, many small businesses are taking advantage of hundreds of free downloadable or online applications now available....  Read more

Microsoft Office Moves to the Web

Microsoft will soon make scaled down versions of its popular suite of office productivity programs available as Web apps. Watch out Google.  Read more

Test the Waters: Migrate to Open Source

A growing number of small businesses, disappointed with licensing software, are sticking a toe in the open source waters, by migrating some employees over to...  Read more

Microsoft Does a Big Back Pedal For Office 2003 Users

That would include me. I still use Office 2003. This is a classic Microsoft PR gaffe. Routinely, the largest software company in the world forgets...  Read more

Google Challenges Microsoft's Workplace Dominance

Small businesses with lower IT budgets are being wooed by a cheaper web-based alternative to MS Office.  Read more

Travel the Globe Without Getting Lost

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read more

Looking for a New Way to Woo Customers? Try Birthday Presents

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read more

Google Further Expands Office Tools

April 18, 2007 -- Vying for a greater share of the business-software market, Google on Tuesday said it expects to launch a presentation a...  Read more

New Online Document-Sharing Tool

ThinkFree, a San Jose, Calif.-based office-services company, has launched a product allowing small-business owners to share documents, spreadsheets, and p...  Read more

Winning the Numbers Game

Software to boost the bottom line.  Read more

The Devil Is in the Details -- on the Spreadsheet

The road is littered with mistakes businesses have made in recording details in their spreadsheets. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid when trying to use...  Read more

Pump Up Your PowerPoint Presentations

Bullet points tell your audience you haven't updated your presentation tools since the 1990s. Try some of the new ways for introducing analytics, getting aud...  Read more

MS Office 2007: Worth the Investment?

Microsoft's latest office productivity suite has great new tools and menus so you can create better and faster documents. But will the design changes zap you...  Read more

Getting Closer: Collaboration Software

A new breed of collaboration software lets far-flung employees work as though they're face to face.  Read more

What's the Update: When to Get New Software

New versions come out all the time, like Microsoft's new Vista operating system, raising questions about whether and when to upgrade. Here's how to decide.  Read more

Google's Latest: A Challenger to Microsoft Office

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help your business.  Read more

Something for Nothing

Cool new software, free of charge.  Read more

Making Your (Power) Point

Presentations don't have to be a bore. Here are six new ways to liven them up.  Read more

Is Linux Right for Your Business?

Deciding whether your business can benefit from the open-source leader involves weight the cost and risks against the benefits of Penguin Power.  Read more

10 Ways to Make PowerPoint Presentations Powerful

Learn how to make your presentations sizzle, not fizzle.  Read more

What are Macroviruses?

These viruses targeted Microsoft Office applications but appeared to be beaten. Do you need to prepare for a comeback?  Read more