For any business today, time is the most valuable asset. As such, it is extremely important to manage and streamline processes in ways that yield maximum profits with minimum expenditure. One of the best ways to stay ahead of the game is to have a reliable software setup. However, with so many technologies out there, it is often hard to decide which ones are simply a fad and which will actually prove worth the investment. Here is a list of the top tools that have stood the test of time in streamlining business management.

• Software-Defined Wide Area Network technology (SD-WAN)
  Connecting offices that are situated across large distances, SD-WAN is a one-stop Internet solution for all big businesses. With cloud-based technology, data across geographies is smoothly connected, thereby ensuring ease of access to information. SD-WAN promises greater business agility, increased visibility, and control of data, improved application performance, and robust encryption of data. SD-WAN solutions also have high adaptability and may adjust traffic flows according to prevailing network conditions. This ultimately leads to improved business performance and reduced bandwidth costs. This is the reason many start-ups are opting to go the SD-WAN way.

• Simplified communication software
  The best business management policies get implemented only through successful and smooth communication. What better way to streamline your business processes than to install communication software tools that truly ease out the process of intra-office communication? Platforms such as Voxer, Yammer, Slack, and Pie have been doing a great job helping connect people within the same office as well as helping facilitate smooth communication between global teams. They allow for group and private communication as well as project planning with an ease of access to past communication threads so as to find information with minimal effort.

• Cloud-based digital asset management
  These systems help store and manage digital assets online. These assets usually include copyrighted data such as videos and images. These may then be shared only with approved parties with high-level encryption to ensure no unauthorized information goes live. Moreover, cloud-based digital asset management systems have great scalability—they allow for expansion as your business grows. You need not delete data or feel compromised that you are running out of space. Above all, these systems are very cost-efficient and let you save on business costs in the long run.

• Construction take-off software
  This is a software that helps estimate the overall cost for a particular project. A must-have for any business owner or a start-up, this software guarantees efficiency and accuracy. In a dynamically-evolving economy, every split-second decision taken needs to be the right one. A construction take-off software helps keep a record of contractor expenses, labor charges, equipment costs, the volume of materials required, and back orders so that you never miss a detail. Manually calculating all these expenses may be a tiresome affair, as there is always room for error. Some popular construction take-off software includes ConstructionOnline, QuoteSoft, Joist, Cubicost, and TurboBid, among others. Apart from these, there are contractor bidding software as well for the smooth functioning of the business.

• Accounting and bookkeeping apps
  Every business needs an impeccable system of maintaining accounts and bookkeeping. It is extremely important to invest in an accounts software that helps maintain and analyze records of your company’s finances. Manual bookkeeping is now an obsolete practice as it leaves much room for error. Additionally, booking apps may also directly invoice clients, thereby saving you a lot of hassle. Some of the most popular accounts and bookkeeping apps include Expensify, QuickBooks Online, Hubdoc, and Xero.