Nine Must-Have Tools and Apps for Business Executives

You’re only as current as the technology you utilize, so if you’re a digital business owner looking to get to the top, staying trendy is part of the process. With technology moving at light speed, however, that alone can be a full time job.

If you’re ready to nab some new gadgets and apps that make your life more productive and happy, check out the list below. While these babies may not help you source world peace, they will make the ardent task of running an online business a lot more manageable overall.

Phone Charging On-the-Run

We are now officially smart phone addicts in this world, but keeping the suckers fully charged continues to be an elusive task at times.

If you’re after an inexpensive and portable way to keep your phone alive and connected to your entire digital world, checkout the offerings from Nomad. Products include USB cables and iPhone charges that fit on your keychain, or double as a credit card in your wallet. All products are just $29, and connect to Android or iOS systems. You’ll never have to face the dreaded dead battery again.

Keep Your Meetings in Sync

The meeting calendar of a typical exec can change dramatically in a given day, so it’s often challenging to stay on top of current schedules. Lowdown is a new iOS app that automatically extracts real-time calendar data from your phone and other systems to keep you in-the-know about scheduling shifts.

Lowdown also works with LinkedIn to present data about meeting attendees, so you can walk into each session with plenty of information about who you’re meeting with. It also syncs with your email to keep you informed about new messages from any meeting attendees, in case they need to cancel or reschedule, etc.

Flash Drives for Sensitive Data

We have long since all adopted thumb drives to store important data, but how often have you misplaced them and lamented losing secret information? If you regularly carry around sensitive data, Lok-It is a must. This flash drive is encrypted and offers hardware authentication, making it virtually hack-proof. Lok-It also sports a number lock system which requires a passcode to unlock, adding yet another layer of security. These flash drives are cross-platform compatible, and plugin to USB ports like regular drives too.

Phone-Friendly Task Management

If you’re like most business execs, you start the day at dawn and end well into the evening hours. Keeping organized is always, always a conundrum. OmniFocus is a nifty iPhone app that helps keep everything in perspective as you zip about your day. OmniFocus keeps track of tasks based on projects, people, places, or dates. It will notify you about upcoming deadlines, and allows you to clip data from email, instant messaging apps, and many more locations.

OmniFocus will do the heavy-lifting around gathering and organizing tasks, so all you have to do is keep knocking them down.

Mobile Meetings

Need to initiate meetings from your smart phone? Yeah, there’s an app for that. Check out Cisco WebEx and prepare to take your meetings to the mobile space. This free iPhone app lets you propose and join meetings from just about any device. This means you no longer have to plan meetings around your desk or office time; meetings can virtually happen anywhere.

Ergonomic Laptop Stand

Destined to put chiropractors out of business is laptop stand The Roost. Because business owners spend scads of time staring at their screens, all too often posture is less than perfect and plenty of pain can result.

The Roost comes to our rescue with a portable style that positions laptop screens at eye level, thereby thwarting the urge to hunch and do damage to spines and muscles. This Kickstarter project has received numerous accolades from busy professionals who can no longer live without the sleek design and ergonomic styling.

A Smart Way to Aggregate all that Data

We all now live in the era of big data, and trying to keep all your company’s important information in an organized fashion can trigger an immediate migraine. SumAll aims to help you manage that stress. SumAll aggregates data in an easy to understand format, including social media, revenues, analytics, SEO, URLs – you name it, SumAll helps you keep it organized.

Secure eSignature Software

Sometimes it’s the little things that truly make life easier. DocuSign fits that statement to a T. This program simply lets you electronically sign any contract from any device, in a safe and secure manner. If you’re still signing docs the old-fashioned way, a simple tool like DocuSign can make you feel volumes more empowered.

Keep it Personal

Have you ever sent a personal, even intimate correspondence to your significant other, only to find out it accidentally went to someone in your work world? Using the same tools for business and pleasure can be dicey. That’s where Twyxt comes in. This app lets you send photos, messages, moods, and other communications just to your partner, in a secure manner that guarantees no other eyeballs will view it.

What other apps and tools have made your life as a business owner easier and more carefree? We’d love to know!

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Nine Must-Have Tools and Apps for Business Executives

Digital producer, online marketer, community manager, and multi-faceted writer Tina Courtney-Brown has been managing cross-functional teams for online businesses since 1996. Tina has assisted many clients in maximizing online production and marketing efforts, and is a staff writer for SiteProNews, one of the Web’s foremost webmaster and tech news blogs. She’s produced and marketed innovative content for major players like Disney and JDate, as well as boutique startups galore, with fortes including social media, SEO, massively multiplayer games, community management, social networks, and project management. Tina is also a certified Reiki practitioner, herbalist, nonprofit director and spiritual counselor.  Learn more at her personal website, or find her on Facebook and Google+.

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