Web & Software Programs that Can Aid Business Careers

We are in an age where we cannot escape technology. Careers that were once completed without high tech technology are often reliant on that technology. Businesses and employees can improve their efficiency with the knowledge of a few web and software programs.

Why Do Businesses and Employees Need to Teach Themselves?

Knowing how to use technology is a very valuable skill. Despite that fact many educational institutions fail to include knowledge of basic or advanced web and software technology in their marketing or business administration degree curriculum. They often leave that knowledge for the individual to seek. Due to those facts, future employees, current employees and business managers should try to learn as much knowledge about how to use various web and software programs as possible.

Useful Web and Software Programs

There are of course hundreds of useful web programs and software available on the internet. Below I will list a few that employees and future employees should endeavor to learn how to use. I have focused on software and web programs that are either free or cheap for the individual to use. This will increase the likelihood that individuals will be able to learn the programs on their own time.

Google Drive. No matter your career, employers and employees can benefit from a free online application called Google Drive. Google Drive allows the user to create and share documents online.There are various features that make these GoogleDocs must haves for the office.

• Collaborative work is more effective than ever with GoogleDrive. Changes to the document are made in real time. All participants can view the most recent changes without the frustration of fixing an outdated document.
• GoogleDrive allows the user to choose between a regular word document, a spreadsheet, a presentation, a form, and a drawing. It is important to note that the Drive is not capable of many of the high-tech options that Microsoft Works and other programs provide.
• Online storage means that you can access the document from any location without worrying about emailing the document to yourself or saving it on a thumb drive.

There are times and places for the more traditional word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and drawing software. That being said, GoogleDrive has a lot to offer the individual and the office.

Prezi is an online presentation program that individuals and companies can have access for anywhere for the low cost of $0 to $13.25 a month.

• The free version gives you the ability to create public presentations with 100mb of online storage space. The paid version gives the presentation builders the capability of creating private presentations offline on the Prezi desktop with significantly more online memory. Paid versions also allow companies to include a company logo in the presentation.

Prezi takes the boredom out of the traditional power point presentation. If you view this presentation, you will notice how the entire presentation is produced on a single page. As the presentation commences the screen moves from one location to another. Nothing is ever stationary. If you want your employees or customers to actually pay attention to the presentation, Prezi is the way to go.

Gimp is a free photo editor that individuals and businesses can use to edit pictures. Gimp can be downloaded onto any computer without purchasing a license. The program is the most advanced free photo editor available.

• Features include the ability to touch up photos, remove red-eye, whiten teeth, brighten or change the color of a specific part of an image,  and cut out and place a piece if an image onto another background.

Does it possess the same capabilities as Photoshop? According to my friend who is an amateur photographer, it does not. What Gimp offers is a basic photo editor tool that you do not need to purchase. Employees or future employees can teach themselves how to use Gimp if they are unwilling to cough up the money for Photoshop.

Lucid Chart is an internet program that allows individuals and businesses to create charts online. Pricing ranges from $10 for the individual to $2-$5 per person.

• Lucid Chart makes collaborative work easy. Changes to the various diagrams are made in real time and the program has a built in group chat that allows the team to discuss the changes that need to be made to the diagram.
• The web program allows the user diversification by allowing the user to access multiple tools and diagrams. The diagrams include flowcharts, circuit diagrams, network diagrams, floor plans, rack diagrams, Cisco network diagrams, value stream maps, and piping and instrumentation charts.
• Sharing the finished or in-process diagram is made easy. Diagrams can be downloaded as an image, embedded into your blog, wiki, or website, or exported into a document or presentation.

As professionals and future professionals that will soon enter the business world, we are unable to escape the need for computers. Computer programs increase efficiency by providing the ability to create relatively high-tech documents for a low price. Add to that the ability to engage in collaborative work with ease, and you have access to web programs and software that will transform how you engage with your co-workers at the office.