| While more and more people are setting up a business | | | | phone line if you will be on the phone a lot, with an |
| from home or are doing more of their companies | | | | appropriate long distance plan, a fax line and fax |
| office work from home, there is becoming a well | | | | machine. Note that there are excellent low cost all in |
| defined set of tools that the information worker | | | | one printers that include a fax, printer, copier and |
| requires if he or she will be productive at home. We | | | | scanner capabilities, however if you will be doing any |
| will explore a few of these in this short article. | | | | high volume work a more expensive high volume |
| There are many business opportunities for small | | | | machine may be in order. Included with communications |
| business owners who want to work out of their | | | | needs are a cell phone, again with a reasonable long |
| homes. These include the hobbyist whose hobby | | | | distance and local calling plan. Some companies also |
| grows into a small business as well as the | | | | offer 1st minute incoming call plans for those people |
| entrepreneur who starts a business out of his garage | | | | who receive a lot of calls. Finally high speed internet is |
| or basement to the tradesmen who has his office at | | | | a must. Whether it is a cable modem service from |
| home to coordinate all of the customer projects that | | | | your cable company or from the telephone company, |
| he may be involved in. We are focusing on the | | | | make sure that you also receive reliable service with |
| growing field of information worker in this article, | | | | email and web space service. |
| although many of the above professions will also need | | | | The last item that many home workers need to |
| these same tools. | | | | consider is a fast computer with lots of storage and |
| Included on the list of tools or requirements are a place | | | | back up capability. Information workers who are using |
| to work were you can focus on whatever your | | | | many applications cannot afford to be slowed down |
| function is. Setting up your office on the dining room | | | | by an unresponsive computer that cannot support |
| table may give you the room, however if you are | | | | operating several memory hogging applications at the |
| continuously interrupted and distracted, you may want | | | | same time. Always ensure you have a backup plan |
| to consider a more permanent location in your home | | | | and backup up your data on a regular basis. Even new |
| with a desk and a comfortable office chair to work | | | | computers will crash at the most inopportune |
| from. | | | | moments! |
| Next is communications. This includes a separate | | | | |