The world of online interaction has brought people together from opposite sides of the globe. You can post a picture on Facebook in Los Angeles and someone in Spain might see it straight away.

However the applications of such interaction aren’t only social, they are now becoming crucial even for businesses, whether big companies or freelancers are involved.

Photo by Ann Arbor Give Camp.

Work Freely in the Clouds
I remember when I used to need to transfer big files to a company some time back and having to use websites such as wetransfer.com. While such sites still exist, with things such as Google Drive, Microsoft Skydrive and so on, you don’t really need them anymore.

Cloud services such as those are designed to give you a lot of free storage without requiring you to buy any expensive hardware, and a lot of the free packages will suit most of the freelancers out there.

As a bigger business you might want to buy additional storage, which in many ways is still cheaper than acquiring a whole new structure.

Writing and Office Tools
You probably already know that you can create spreadsheets, text documents and so on in Google Docs. But did you know that you can use an online version of Microsoft Office through their Skydrive as well?

Whichever you use the result is the same: the ability to create and modify files online, almost as if you had a secondary online computer. It can also amount to a lot of saved money in office supplies!

Trello
Miss the good old boards full of post-it notes tracking down your small and big projects alike? Trello is the electronic version of those boards.

You can set up notes that people can comment on, together with to-do lists and the ability to upload attachments so that you can brainstorm with your colleagues.

ConceptShare
This is a tool that has a similar function to Trello but it revolves around creative work to do with imagery, photographs etc.

You could be making an infographic for a client who can then view it online and mark the points that need to be changed right there and then. They can even comment with video if they so wish to explain even further.

The video isn’t just an option for your clients, you can use it to make presentations of your work and so on.

You can also swap in between versions of images and compare them with just a click.

Your Turn
These are just some of the tools that can help your business. They complement small business IT support in many, money-saving ways.

Would you like to add to this list?

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

James Duval is an IT manager who spends his entire work day trying to maximise production for himself and his team. He shares his insights here for Office King.