If your small business is already working with an I.T. solutions provider, please remember to talk to your chosen partner prior to purchasing anything that could have an impact on your set-up. In the last week, we've had two customers make impulse purchases that have ended up causing them problems because they didn't speak to us first.

• Customer A went out and purchased several personal digital assistants (PDAs) with mobile phone capabilities that may or may not work with their Small Business Server machine.
  
  
• Customer B found a "bargain" laptop that came with Windows XP Home preinstalled which meant they couldn't use with their domain-based network and had to buy Windows XP Professional then pay us to install it for them. For the additional amount of money they had to spend to correct their mistake, they could have purchased one with a noticeably higher specification, three-year warranty and XP Pro preinstalled.

Please, remember to talk to your chosen Microsoft Small Business Specialist technology partner prior to committing to buying any technology products because we're here to help and could end up saving you money in the long run.