Recommendations
If you’re in need of a particular product or service then jump-start your decision making process by considering the products or services listed here. I only recommend products and services that I use myself and find useful. I’ve had to learn the hard way what works and which is best. Save yourself some time by starting from this distillate!
Books
- SQL Server 2005 Bible by Paul Nielsen (Wiley)
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services by Peter Blackburn & William Vaughn (Addison Wesley)
- Crystal Reports 9: The Complete Reference by George Peck (Osborne)
As with all computer books they go out of date so quickly - still, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend more recent books from any of these authors.
Hardware
- Dell - Can’t go far wrong with Dell Servers or PCs
- HP LaserJet Printers - Dependable workhorse printers
Software
- Crystal Reports - World-class desktop reporting tool
- Crystal Server - Enables browser-based delivery of Crystal Reports
- MailList King - Powerful bulk e-mailing software
- Partition Magic - Industry-leading disk drive partitioning software
- Perfect Disk 8 - Powerful disk defragmentation software
- QuickBooks - Superb small business accounting software!
- SQL Server 2005 - Industry-leading database with in-built web reporting capabilities
- VMWare - Run multiple operating systems on one piece of hardware!
- Win2PDF - Acts like a printer but creates a PDF document as output!
Service Providers
- AnServe - a no-nonsense telephone answering service
- Bang Design - Like my logo? Meet the designers!
- Clarkson & Co - Proactive Chartered Accountants
- Co-operative bank - Genuinely free business banking if you’re a member of the FSB!
- CreditSafe - Ideal for ascertaining facts about and credit-worthiness of a company
- Federation of Small Businesses - Join the club!
- Icon Insurance - Business insurance for small and growing businesses
- Katara Ltd - Knowledgeable and approachable QuickBooks trainer/advisor
- Learning Tree International - world-class IT and Management training
- MarketSafe - Ideal place to purchase data for marketing campaigns
- Tecmark - this website's web designers
- Windsor Telecom - For all your non-geographic numbers. (For a 10% discount call Joe Phillips on 0800 1777 474 quoting Ref: JP410OF)
