目录表
What kind of records do I need to keep in my business?
完整和准确的财务记录保存对您的业务成功至关重要. 良好的记录提供财务数据，帮助你更有效地运作. Accurate and complete records enable you to identify all your business assets, 负债, 收入, 和费用. 这些信息可以帮助您确定业务操作的强弱阶段.
此外, 良好的记录对于编制当期财务报表是必不可少的, such as the 收入 statement (profit and loss) and cash-flow projection. 反过来，这些声明对于与你的银行保持良好关系至关重要. 最后, good records help you avoid underpaying or overpaying your taxes. 除了, good records are essential during an Internal Revenue Service audit, 如果你希望准确地回答问题，并让国税局满意的话.
确保你的成功, 你的财务记录应该显示出你现在产生了多少收入，并预测出你未来有望产生多少收入. They should inform you of the amount of cash tied up in 应收账款. Records also need to indicate what you owe for merchandise, 租金, 公用事业公司, 和设备, as well as such expenses as 工资, 工资税, 广告, equipment and facilities maintenance, and benefit plans for yourself and employees. 记录会告诉你手头有多少现金，库存中有多少现金. They should reveal which of your product lines, 部门, or services are making a profit, as well as your gross and net profit.
The Basic Recordkeeping System
A basic record-keeping system needs a basic journal to record transactions, 应收账款 records, accounts payable records, 工资记录, 零用现金记录, 库存记录.
会计可以根据你的业务需要开发整个系统，并培训你定期维护这些记录. 这些记录将构成你的财务报表和纳税申报表的基础.
What do I need to know about automating part or all of my business?
你必须清楚地了解公司的长期和短期目标, the advantages and disadvantages of all of the alternatives to a computer and, 具体地说, what you want to accomplish with a computer. 将你能开发的最好的人工(非计算机化)系统与你希望得到的计算机系统进行比较. 也许有可能改进你现有的手动系统，以实现你的目标. 在任何情况下，如果不首先创建和改进人工系统，就不可能实现业务自动化.
Business Applications Performed by Computers
计算机的多种功能可以解决许多业务问题，从保存交易记录、准备报表和报告到维护客户和潜在客户列表, 创建小册子, 给员工发工资. 一个完整的计算机系统可以组织和存储许多结构相似的信息, perform complicated mathematical computations quickly and accurately, print information quickly and accurately, facilitate communications among individuals, 部门, 和分支, and link the office to many sources of data available through larger networks. 计算机还可以简化像应收账款这样的手工业务操作, 广告, 库存, 工资, 和规划. 通过所有这些操作，计算机提高了效率，减少了错误，降低了成本.
Computer Business Applications
Computers also can perform more complicated operations, 例如，编制和分析财务报表的财务建模程序，以及编制统计数据的电子表格和会计程序, plot trends and markets and do market analysis, 建模, 图, 和形式. 各种文字处理程序产生打字文档并提供文本编辑功能，而桌面出版程序使您能够在计算机上创建高质量的打印材料. Critical path analysis 项目 divide large projects into smaller, more easily managed segments or steps.
How can I ensure that I'm choosing the right computer system?
要使你的业务电脑化，你需要为你的业务选择最好的程序, select the right equipment, and then implement the various applications associated with the software. 除了, 应用软件是由使计算机执行特定功能的程序组成的, such as 工资 check writing, 应收账款, 寄存或盘点报告，通常与计算机硬件分开购买. QuickBooks is a good example of this type of software.
为了确定您的需求，请准备一份业务中所有功能的清单. in which speed and accuracy are needed for handling volumes of information. These are called applications.
对于每个应用程序，列出当前生成的所有报告. 你还应该包括任何预先打印的表格，如支票，账单或凭证. 如果这样的表格不存在，那就对你想要的东西有一个很好的想法——手绘的版本会有帮助. For each report list the frequency with which it is to be generated, who will generate it and the number of copies needed. 除了 to printed matter, 列出你想要在电脑屏幕上显示的信息.
For all files you are keeping manually or expect to computerize list, identify how you retrieve a particular entry. Do you use account numbers or are they organized alphabetically by name? What other methods would you like to use to retrieve a particular entry? 邮政编码? 产品购买? 事实上, the more detailed you are, the better your chance of finding 项目 compatible with your business.
How can I successfully implement a new computer system?
When implementing computer applications for your business, 问题不可避免, 但适当的计划可以帮助你避免一些，减轻其他的影响. 首先，向每位受影响的员工解释电脑将如何改变他或她的职位. 为实现的关键阶段设定目标日期，特别是格式更改的最后日期. 确保新电脑的位置符合系统对温度的要求, 湿度, 还有电力. 准备一份要从手动系统转换到计算机系统的应用程序的优先列表, 然后训练, or have the vendors train, everyone who will be using the system.
安装后, 应该输入转换列表中的每个应用程序，并与先前存在的应用程序并行运行, corresponding manual system until you have verified that the new system works.
系统安全
If you will have confidential information in your system, you will want safeguards to keep unauthorized users from stealing, modifying or destroying the data. 您可以简单地锁定设备，或者您可以安装用户识别和密码软件.
数据安全
防止数据丢失的最好和最便宜的保险是定期备份每个磁盘上的信息. Copies should be kept in a safe place away from the business site. 也, 拥有和测试灾难恢复计划以及识别所有数据是很有用的, 项目, and documents needed for essential tasks during recovery from a disaster.
最后, be sure to employ more than one person who can operate the system, and ensure that all systems are continually monitored.