# Some thoughts on going from manual to digital



## eMeasure (Dec 23, 2016)

Hello everyone,

This is Adam once again.

Firstly with a major break upon us I'd like to wish everyone a very happy festive season and an even better 2017. 

I wanted to share some brief thoughts on what is involved with moving from something you do manually to something that is digital instead.

Regardless of what role this digital system is intended to play there is some good housekeeping you can follow to ensure you consider all your options.

A digital or  paperless solution means no paper handling and easier file storage and retrieval, and working electronically makes it easier to keep up to date with the latest issues. An accurate digital system can dramatically reduce working  time and allows you to work anywhere that you can take a laptop.

The next big consideration is cost. Cost is always important to take into consideration. Some systems can be expensive and require you to buy outright- making a huge dent in your budget. It can take a while to see any sort of ROI in these cases. 

Make sure youre not spending money on features you dont need! Higher cost doesnt necessarily mean higher benefits for you if you wont be using the features. Rental systems are always a bonus too- ensuring that youre only going to have to use it when you need it! A slow month means no payments and more in your pocket.

So whats the best way to check whats right for you? Simple- test it out. Most systems offer free trials, so if youre serious about getting something that works for you, check out the free trial first- and of course, make sure you actually use it! 

Something equally as important is to make sure you dont get fooled by hidden costs. Some systems can charge you for new upgrades, support or training; all necessary to actually use the program. Make sure your system has comprehensive training materials available and that youre aware of the potential costs.

If you've read this far then I thank you and once again wish you a very happy festive season.

Here is to 2017


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## nealtw (Dec 23, 2016)

You say all that like you believe it and you probably do.

There is no doubt that if you don't go digital you will be left in the dust. But a statement like this is just not complete.
A digital or paperless solution means no paper handling and easier file storage and retrieva
There is a time limit to every one of these programs that no body talks about.

Twenty years ago I had a small mom and pop business, we made somewhere between 600 and 1000 products and carried an inventory of products to build them.
We bought a program for that, MYOB which was great for keeping inventory and point of sales but as it is no longer supported and won't run on any of today's computers
Also built a catalog in excel Office 97, where I could see price changing in every product we made when our costs change.
Every new office program has less bells and whistles and no body told me that if I use that free office program that came with a new window I could never go back to office 97.
Lucky I happened to have it on two computers. So when I shut down that business I saved the hard drives but with out letting any one know that time was running out those hard drives no longer fit today"s machines 
So today I have lot's of good info that is not to be had, at a reasonable price.
I remember well, the salesman said. it has a 1 gig hard drive, more than I need in a life time. I just didn't understand a life time is only a couple years.

So yes they are great but there has to be a plan going in for people who don't know that they need to protect themselves against things that change and  change fast.


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## eMeasure (Dec 23, 2016)

Firstly, thank you for reading my original post and taking the time to reply.

You're not wrong at all in what you say.

The old is replaced by the new in all walks of life including digital software. 

Yes, if the old and new are completely different pieces of software or hardware it creates complications.

You can never been 100% prepared for the future but you can ensure that in today's age that essential information is exported to friendly formats (non-proprietary) and stored in multiple locations. You could even take screenshots too.

Even hard drives will likely change shape and size over time. Some of the slimmest are 2.5 inches currently but no doubt as SSD's become cheaper and easier to come by they themselves may shrink into an even smaller format.


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## nealtw (Dec 23, 2016)

eMeasure said:


> Firstly, thank you for reading my original post and taking the time to reply.
> 
> You're not wrong at all in what you say.
> 
> ...



The world turns on computers today and everyone needs to be digital, I get that, small business often runs on limited education, like me with out an IT dept. or even someone who knows anything, all I have been looking for is an honest broker who actually worries whether that little guy is being looked after.


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