Save Money With FREE Software Alternatives

In today’s economy, everyone wants to save money. Now, we all know that software can be very expensive, particularly when it comes to Microsoft. So if you could save a few, even several hundreds of dollars on software licensing fees, wouldn’t you want to? I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t?

There are some excellent free software products available that, in some cases, perform many or even all the same functions as their expensive commercial counterparts.

For example, there’s Open Office, (http://www.openoffice.org), the office suite that—for most people—does just about everything Microsoft Office does and even reads and writes files in Microsoft Office format. There are different versions that can run on Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. And remember, it’s FREE.  So why would you pay $300 or more per license when you can download and install Open Office for absolutely no cost? You can even install it on a computer that already has Microsoft Office and use both, if you want to compare the two.

There’s another free office suite option that exists online called Google Docs. You can create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online. Of course, Google offers free email accounts as well as online calendars. So you could do all your work online from any computer that has access to the Internet! If you want professional-grade service with increased storage and functionality, you do have to pay a modest fee, but it’s much less expensive than paying hundreds of dollars and only being able to run the office suite on a limited number of computers.

You may also want to consider Linux-based computer systems. Linux systems provide a huge array of programs and capabilities and if all you need to do is access the Internet, use email, and office applications like Open Office, then Linux is very affordable and up to the task. Feel free to contact Network Services Group or call us at (866) 877-6971 to find out whether switching your business to Linux, Open Office, or Google Docs makes sense for you.