Tips

Microsoft Office can cost on average £100 per computer annually and there have been seven Microsoft Office suites released in the last 13 years. This has put a considerable burden on many smaller businesses; however, there are alternatives such as Openoffice.org which is absolutely free.
The latest Openoffice.org version offers improved Office XP compatibility, an enhanced text display, better support for Pivot Tables in Calc, key improvements in Base and much more besides. Compared to Microsoft Office 2007 Basic, Openoffice.org offers twice the number of modules with a Presentation, Database Management System and drawing applications.
Online business applications like Google Apps or Zoho Office represent another interesting alternative. They are free to use and offer the core functionality of office suites like Microsoft Office. They are ideal if you only need basic features and if you want to access your documents seamlessly across several devices (iPhone, laptop, desktop computer) without having to pay for a license for each.