Software Considerations When Buying Agency Computers

Other features found only in XP Professional include advanced networking for multiple PCs, a feature that lets you host and manage personal Web sites, and support for multiple processor systems and languages.

On the whole, considering the small additional investment, XP Professional Edition probably would make sense for most agency offices, except possibly very small operations that dont anticipate growth.

So what about software? If youve done your homework, you already should know what you need new and what you might need to update. The problem is that most PCs today come loaded with a variety of software, much of which you will never likely use.

In some cases, especially if youre custom configuring your new system, youll have more flexibility in choosing what you want and what youd rather not have. Depending on where youre buying your systemsa subject well delve into in a future articleyou may be able to trade off useless applications for those that would be helpful.

As always, however, try to look ahead and anticipate what programs might be useful in the future, even if you dont need them now. For example, you may not see a need for Microsoft PowerPoint (software that helps you put together on-screen presentations) in your agency at present. Then again, maybe youd like your agents to have such a presentation ready for new customers or for certain lines of business.

Once the decision to purchase software is looked at as a business decision, the choice should be more obvious.

Among the basic kinds of software that make sense for most agency officesbeyond the obvious applications such as word processing, contact management and agency management systemsare the following:

Virus Protection Software is an essential in this age of cybercrime. The key is to buy a product that updates itself automatically via the Internet.

Firewall Software is also a necessity. Make sure you get a system that scans both incoming and outgoing information, thus preventing the intentional or unintentional leakage of proprietary information from your systems.

Maintenance Utility Software helps you keep your cyberdesk clean by allowing you to manually or automatically delete unused files, shortcuts and other data. Most of these programs can be customized to meet your unique needs and can be set to perform cleanup functions as often as you like.

Spyware, despite its menacing name, can be useful where an agency suspects employees of sending out proprietary information, or of spending too much time on nonbusiness Web sites, thus diminishing productivity. This software monitors the use of computers on your network and reports back via a log. Use of such software, while it is legal, may be a touchy matter, however, so take into account the likelihood that employees might resent being watched in such a manner.

One final note about software: Dont be tempted to make illegal copies of any applications you purchase. Read your licensing agreement and know your rights, but dont think that you cant be discovered if you make a few extra copies for home or for additional computers. Companies have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for such infractions, and the software industry continues to develop new monitoring methods.

In future articles in this series well deal with how and where to buy your computers, as well as purchasing peripherals (such as printers), and choosing a method of connecting to the Internet.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Life & Health/Financial Services Edition, October 3, 2003. Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.