The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us in the United States. That allows us a week that is a little lighter than our normal workload and time to reflect. In this time of reflection, one of the things to consider is the effective tools we have for doing our jobs.
Avoid Software Piracy
The first thing to consider is the people and companies that provide all of those effective tools. Therefore, we should be respectful of their efforts and ensure we are compliant with licenses. I have heard all of the excuses for software piracy, and none of them hold water. In particular, we need to set an excellent example for those that do not make a living creating software. If you need a little extra support for this concept, you can check out the link below.
Along with being compliant with the software you use, go ahead and clean up what you do not. This includes deleting unused applications and canceling subscriptions that are no longer needed. You want to be in a comfortable place as licenses go. Thus, you should pay for what you use and not the things that you leave on a shelf.
Lower Cost, Effective Tools
The rise in popularity of software-as-a-service has made many applications affordable. There are free demos, trial periods, and even some free tier (or entry-level) solutions that small organizations may find very useful. Take advantage of these options and check back regularly via searches or popular sites (like Sourceforge) that apply to your needs.
