25 Best Small Business Apps for 2012
25 excellent applications for small-to-mid-sized businesses to consider in 2012.
We have picked 25 small business apps—some of which are cloud services, others for mobile devices, and some of which are standard on-premise software installs. They represent a wide variety of software; what they all have in common are ways to enhance your business and your business success. Some of the apps focus on financials, allowing you to easily manage a general ledger, accounts payable and receivables. One app focuses primarily on tracking billable work typically done by freelance workers, a workforce that is increasingly being used by businesses in a turbulent economy.
Other apps focus on productivity. While "productivity" may be a bit of a software buzzword, productivity apps are crucial. They allow the creation and management of documents that comprise your business data; help you keep sensitive data protected and retained within company walls; and aid in communication and collaboration among employees, customers, and external contacts.
There are apps listed that fill a more specialized niche such as the those that can be used by IT consultants who need to perform an on-the-fly wireless site survey and can do so from an Android smartphone.
Of course, we also include more traditional business applications such office suites and online payroll. The resulting list is comprehensive of all the varied applications that are critical for business and that have solutions tailored for small business. Here are 25 excellent business apps we've reviewed for 2012.
1. QuickBooks Premier Edition 2013
$399.95 MSRP
Platform: Windows
Category: Small Business Accounting
A long overdue revamp of the desktop program's user interface is the highlight of QuickBooks 2013 (all versions, though we reviewed Premier). Quickbooks' hallmarks are simplicity and usability. In addition, the accounting app offers a powerful blend of features without being so feature-packed that it's overwhelming.
The Intuit App Center has also grown to include hundreds of add-ons that integrate with QuickBooks and provided specialized functionality. Web-based accounting applications are reasonable alternatives for small or uncomplicated businesses. Some begin to approach desktop QuickBooks' functionality in some areas like invoicing and contact management. But no one has yet assembled an online financial management solution that lets you do everything that QuickBooks offers.
2. Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold v16
$1,595
Platform: Windows/Linux
Category: Network Management
The latest version of WhatsUp Gold takes into account practically everything an IT administrator would want to know about the network and presents it in a single, easy-to-use dashboard. Well-designed built-in Help is useful in discovering advanced features and learning how to use it.
WhatsUp Gold is not just a monitoring tool, as it can generate extensive reports and issue alerts whenever there's something that requires administrator attention. The suite can be used to upload configuration settings, keep track of software and hardware inventory, and just keep an eye on the health of the network. Its extensive suite of applications combined with a mostly intuitive Web-based dashboard gives network managers 360-degree visibility.
3. Adobe Acrobat XI
$499.99 MSRP
Platform: Multiple
Category: Productivity
Adobe Acrobat is still the most powerful, stable, and mature PDF application, from the creator of the PDF format.
New form-editing and document-signing features make it easier than ever to add electronic signatures to documents via computers, tablets, and smartphones. Acrobat XI preserves the simplified interface that Adobe introduced in Acrobat X, but it's learned a lot of smooth new moves.
$119
Platform: Android, Blackberry
Category: VoIP
TrustCall from KoolSpan provides small businesses with a turnkey mobile phone encryption product. The IT administrator can now ensure sensitive phone calls and text messages are protected without having to buy customized devices. Military-grade voice encryption also doesn't hurt.
Easy to deploy and use, TrustCall transforms regular smartphones to "secure phones" within any organization. Thanks to the chip inside the smartphone, malicious third-party adversaries can't intercept or eavesdrop on voice calls and SMS messages.
$49.99 MSRP
Platform: Multiple
Category: Virtualization
VMware Fusion is easy enough for those new to deploying virtualized desktops but also satisfies the needs of advanced users. VMware Fusion provides an excellent way to run virtual operating systems on physical (host) machines. The latest version provides a rich, good-performing way to run a virtual instance of Windows 8 on OS X and is optimized for Mountain Lion.
VMware also offers customization and features more tailored to business use (the VMWare Fusion Pro edition for about $100 offers IT-friendly features).
6. Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac
$79.99 MSRP
Platform: OS X
Category: Virtualization
Parallels is crisp, well-designed software that delivers desktop virtualization to both beginners and advanced virtualization users. Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac allows you to run other operating systems as virtual machines on Mac hardware. Version 8 is optimized to run Windows 8.
The customization options are more targeted for personal and small business users rather than for use in an enterprise network. For enterprise, Parallels offers the Mac Enterprise Edition which gives features more in tune with business needs including mass and remote deployment options.
$12.99
Platform: iPhone
Category: Productivity
For getting office or school work done in a pinch from an iPhone, get Polaris Office, which includes tools for word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation files, all in one great app that's priced more than fairly.
Polaris Office is a worthy alternative to Apple's iWork suite for editing documents, creating new ones, and saving them either to the Polaris Office app or into popular cloud-based storage services, such as Dropbox and Google Drive (formerly Google Docs).
$12.99
Platform: iPad
Category: Productivity
To get work done effectively on an iPad, you need an app that lets you access your preferred storage system, create new documents, and edit existing documents from your preferred storage area. Apps that do one or two of those things are a dime a dozen, but it's hard to find a good one that can do them all.
The three-in-one productivity app Polaris Office for iPad radically changes the office landscape.
$9.99
Platform: Multiple
Category: VPN
VPN Direct is the VPN service to have when overseas or needing some privacy when surfing online. With no bandwidth requirements and good performance, you can count on VPN Direct to keep you online.
The service's VPN technology encrypts all traffic leaving the computer online and ensures data remains hidden from third parties even when on an open wireless network. As a paid service, it's on-par with many of its competitors, but its free offering falls a bit short.
Free
Platform: Android
Category: Networking Utilities
Fing is a network discovery tool that finds devices connected to your network. It also features several networking utilities. Even though it's free, its developers aren't stingy with the feature set.
This utility is a swiss army knife of networking utilities, providing Ping, DNS Lookup and traceroute—all which can be used for troubleshooting and analyzing connection issues or to ferret out anything connected to your network that shouldn't be.
$1,000 MSRP
Platform: Windows
Category: Networking Utilities
For Windows network administrators who may not want to undertake the steep learning curve associated with Wireshark, Capsa is a great, albeit pricey, alternative.
Capsa works a lot like Wireshark. It's a network analyzer and packet sniffer that provides excellent visualization of network traffic.
$199.99 MSRP
Platform: Windows
Category: Productivity
If you've never used dictation and voice command software before, Dragon NaturallySpeaking seems almost futuristic. It translates accurately. The speed is incredible. Intelligent features allow the software to become smarter the more you use it, by looking for words in context.
Dragon can also solve problems you didn't even know you had. It can make writing faster, especially if you're not fond of composing with your fingers.
Free
Platform: Multiple
Category: Internet, Storage
With Web, Android, iPhone, Mac, and Windows clients, and a nifty "fetch" feature, Microsoft's cloud solution, SkyDrive, is one of the most complete offerings of its type.
SkyDrive serves a lot of functions. If you just want access to documents or media files, it offers simple online storage accessible from the Web. If you want the same set of files replicated on multiple PCs it provides folder syncing. For users of Windows 8 and Windows Phone, it backs up settings. Because of this diversity of function, there are several different cross-sections from which you can view the service—by type of data, client, or function. The data types include documents, photos, video, music, or settings. The clients include computer, mobile, and Web, and the functions are things like syncing, viewing, playing, and simple storage.
Free, Premier $29 per year, Premier Pro $99 per year
Platform: Web
Category: Productivity
The Vizibility Mobile Business Card is a handy all-in-one kit for promoting yourself through QR codes and NFC cards.
Supported physical products like the NFC business card and QR code stickers make refreshing your business cards easy. These can be ordered separately from your subscription at $15 each (for a single business card or 240 QR code stickers).
$39
Platform: Web
Category: Small Business Finance and Accounting
Intuit Online Payroll Plus is the most advanced, affordable online payroll website available today. Its attractive, intuitive interface and comprehensive set of record-keeping, processing and reporting tools make it your smartest choice.
Intuit Online Payroll Plus earns its place as the best online payroll service thanks to its new look and feel, its superior ability to shepherd users through a complex and challenging process, and its extensive support options.
16. Sage ACT! Pro 2012
$269.99
Platform: Multiple
Category: CRM
ACT! 2012 retains many of the wonderful features of ACT! 2011, including granular contact and calendar management, as well as the ability to create a marketing campaign.
These capabilities make Sage ACT! a true CRM solution and more than your typical personal information management application, and it's one of the premiere SMB CRM solutions available.
Free
Platform: Mac
Category: Utilities
NetSpot is an excellent free Mac utility that lets you scan your area for Wi-Fi signals, and create floor plans best suited for delivering strong wireless connections to your gear.
This free Mac utility from Etwok, lets you scan your immediate area for Wi-Fi signals and view related information such as open and closed signals, dead zones, and more. More importantly, NetSpot has a drawing tool that lets you map a Wi-Fi-friendly floor plan in your home or office, so that you can arrange your router and electronics in such as fashion that you'll receive strong throughput.
Free
Platform: Windows, Linux
Category: VPN
Shrew Soft is a great VPN client option if you have a large pool of users who need remote VPN access, or if your existing Cisco client is unstable or erratic.
Shrew Soft's VPN software is a true VPN client in that it connects to an existing VPN server, whether that's from the big giants such as Cisco or Juniper, or from smaller players such as Cisco's Linksys.
19. Bento 4.1 (for Mac)
$49 MSRP
Platform: Mac
Category: Productivity
Bento 4.1 is an excellent, flexible organizational app that can get your life or small business in order.
Bento organizes information in a hierarchy: Your database contains libraries that are collections of records, which are entries consisting of fields (individual data items, such as name or date). Libraries can also be subdivided into Smart Collections (groups of records based on criteria you specify), and folders to group related libraries. But thanks to templates, you can use Bento without worrying about all that, if you'd rather just organize those recipes or club members without thinking about the mechanics.
$47 MSRP
Platform: Windows, Mac
Category: Small Business Accounting
OfficeTime is a small business owner's best friend. This highly practical yet relatively simple program helps SMBs keep track of their billable hours and other expenses, as well as generating invoices for their work.
OfficeTime tracks how much time you spend on various projects and tasks while you're working, and it shows the minute-by-minute costs as they accumulate, or with numbers rounded however you choose. Slightly larger businesses can even use OfficeTime for team projects.
$49.99 MSRP
Platform: iOS
Category: Utilities
Win 8 Metro Testbed allows you to remotely connect to Windows 8 from an iPad and it also supports Windows 8 gestures.
Although maker Splashtop is pushing its Win8 Metro Testbed primarily for developers with iPads who want to test their apps in Windows 8, the app is an ideal way for anyone to have the Windows 8 tablet experience without buying an actual Windows-based tablet.
$30 MSRP
Platform: Android
Category: Utilities
LogMeIn Ignition for Android is a remote control app for accessing PCs and Macs from Android devices.
For those who need reliable remote access, advanced features or may need to administer a server time-to-time from an Android device—it's worth consideration.
Free starting tier
Platform: Web
Category: Small Business Accounting
Freshbooks is simple and friendly. It facilitates interaction among clients, vendors, contractors and team members. And its invoice management is among the best.
FreshBooks' focus is, of course, on invoices. And it handles this task with more flexibility and functionality than its online competitors. You can choose from two customizable invoice templates (some competitors offer more) and create one-time or recurring invoices by using the information you've entered about customers, items, and services.
$29.95 MSRP
Platform: Windows
Category: Utilities
WinZip has the best interface, most features—including cloud and social network integration—and the fastest performance of any file archiving utility.
WinZip supports many more archive file formats, which you may run into when downloading on the Web. In addition to ZIP, it can handle TAR, GZIP, CAB, RAR, 7z, ARJ, LZH, BHZ, and many more. It also offers government-level encryption to protect your files, as well as the cloud and social-network integration mentioned.
Free, Premium subscriptions available
Platform: Web
Category: Internet
LinkedIn is the most developed business- and career-oriented networking site out there.
A great job board and plenty of services for connecting hiring companies to talented staff make it one of the most important resources for people will find new jobs and opportunities, while also building their reputations.