There is a new book available entitled Nearly Free IT, authored by Lou Rosas-Guyon, an IT veteran who authored the book with small to medium sized businesses, with small to medium budgets, in mind. The focus of Nearly Free IT is important and relevant information for any business owner or entrepreneur who utilized software and technology to power their company and employees.

"Nearly Free", is a bit of a sales person's nightmare which is where the importance of the information, found therein, comes into play. To begin, Rosas-Guyon introduces the reader to the term "cloud" which in the IT world equates to a network mapping system. His explanation of "clouding" was a little confusing at first (only because the term "cloud" is also being used as a tool for keyword searches in such places as social networking sites, online media sites and even personal blogs, to make them more searchable in web browsers). Though, his explanation eventually does clarify his use of the term [cloud].

He continues by citing examples of how, for practically nothing and in place of expensive computer equipment, software and programming tools, anyone with an Internet connection now has access to a plethora of web based tools or applications and servers on which a small business can easily reserve space and access for a small monthly fee. Even the mighty Microsoft Office Suite application is accessible without owning the software on web-based providers like Google Documents or the new kid on the block, Zoho.com. Both of these places provide users with the ability to create documents and spreadsheets; store and share abilities and have multiple users on an account. All for FREE.

The beauty of such applications being that anyone can access them remotely because your information is stored on a secure server that you log into. So, if your computer crashes or you are traveling and don't have a laptop, you are able to access your information from anywhere, anytime. Other resources are also available for accounting, invoicing, web-hosting, appointment setting and much more.

This cuts the need to constantly upgrade software and computers hardware and is a cost effective way to run a business and have a back-up available at one's finger tips. You can even access most of this from a number of smart phones on the market.

Rosas-Guyon goes on to discuss the abolishment of office equipment such as copy/scan and fax machines. He suggests cutting your cost of repairs, replacing toner and ink and replacing malfunctioning machines with an office center such as FedEx/Kinkos where you have access to all these services on a per use basis and can even have an account where you send things in from your desktop. Faxing has become easier with the invent of digital faxing from one's desktop by uploading documents, photos, pdf files, etc., into an email and clicking send. No extra fax line needed and you get a confirmation delivered (successful, failed, line busy) to your inbox.

He discusses project management sites, as well client relationship management, mind-mapping, whiteboards, presentation services and offers many more useful, money and time saving options for the business and budget savvy.

Rosas-Guyon encouraged users to always read the fine print and if you don't understand something contact customer service for assistance. Not all on-line applications are created equally and test more than one if you have the option to find the best fit for your needs. "The only constant is change," he says.

You can download the e-book or purchase a copy at: www.NearlyFreeIT.com

Find out more about Mr. Rosas-Guyon at www.LouRG.com