Panda Security has released Cloud Antivirus, a malware-protection tool that mostly resides on a network cluster instead of your PC. The free tool just installs a small client on your computer to connect online. While a self-described beta, Cloud Antivirus could be worth much more than its free price by the way it cuts your risks and administration costs.

Traditional antivirus tools work by detecting suspicious activities on your PC and by researchers at your antivirus company identifying threats. In the former situation, the antivirus tool is supposed to step in to block malware even if the tool has no specific knowledge of that exact strain. More often, protection comes through updates from the security company, with the exact details of new attacks.

I used to think the post office's biggest, modern innovation was the transition from lickable to sticker stamps. But a host of online shipping tools can save you money and time; you might never have to wait in line at your local branch again. Especially with the upcoming, May 11, 2-cent price hike, consider those online tools to manage your shipping needs.

You'll benefit most in saved time. Instead of visiting a branch, you can order shipping boxes and envelopes at no cost, with no delivery charge. You can also place orders for stamps and other paid necessities to be delivered. And an online postage calculator gives you current rates based on your package destination and weight.

I contracted a single designer to create logos in previous business branding. Our back-and-forth process worked, but it got pricy, and I wasted a lot of time as we kept trying new iterations. For my next business, I'm trying LogoTournament. The site inverts the idea of one designer spending a lot of time; here many designers spend a little time, each submitting their ideas. The winner nets my prepaid bounty, and I get full rights to the logo.

I was a little skeptical to turn to the Internet masses versus a single designer. Anyone can upload ideas. But only a few days into my contest so far, I already have a few submissions that could work, among a dozen other attempts. As we get closer to my week-long deadline, I expect more designers to add entries. Other contests paying as little as $250 are getting 100 or more entries, but if you don't get at least 30, LogoTournament offers a refund.

Large companies have long saved costs by outsourcing certain tasks to cheaper labor markets. As long as they get quality results--say from phone-based customer service workers--customers rarely care. Now, several web companies offer overseas outsourcing suited to medium- or small-businesses; you'll be able to save costs over local help, expand your business without adding employees, or both.

Many services are available, including Brickwork India, Get Friday, Longer Days, MyEmployee Solutions, and Tasks EveryDay. Costs typically range from about $7 an hour to $1,200 or more each month, depending on your needs. For example, some of the cheaper services are great for simple receptionist tasks. Others offer workers with MBA degrees, CPA certification, IT background, and other relevant experience at a higher cost.

Want to cut up to half your paper and ink budget? Just use half as much paper. Yeah, it sounds like the punchline to a sad joke--I won't quit my day job--but this simple tip can work.

You'll print two pages of a document to a single sheet of paper. This technique is perfect for items that require a physical paper trail that you're not likely to look at deeply later. But even websites, email, and other documents can remain legible at half their size. Here's how to shrink prints and your office supply costs.

ExpenseWatch helps small- and medium-sized businesses track and approve company costs through a browser-based application. If you use a paper-based or other clunky system to manage purchase requests and invoices, the service could potentially save you labor costs by automating these processes. It could also save you money with its auditing tools, giving new perspectives on where you can cut back budgets. These tools are standard at large companies, but ExpenseWatch could put your smaller outfit on equal footing.

ExpenseWatch is broken into monthly user licenses for each of its three tools: travel and entertainment, purchasing, and invoice management. You'll essentially need a license for each concurrent user, such as the number of people typically traveling at once for the first or one per department manager for purchasing. Each travel and entertainment license costs $16 while the other two types cost $31 each. (A free trial is also available.)

VoIP (voice over IP) calls cost less than traditional phone systems, while adding additional features. Skype says that about 35 percent of its customers are using the service at work, so the company has tailored features to help that audience manage Skype and save money. Especially with the recent iPhone and BlackBerry clients, Skype could cut your business costs.

Skype for Business mainly differs from a consumer account because IT departments can deploy the software across an office. Features can be activated or disabled by your administrators, such as file transfers or sharing peer-to-peer Skype traffic. Group policy templates let you modify these features for several people at once.

Can you use netbooks for business? The answer depends on your specific needs, but there's a good chance you can with current hardware. And more powerful, upcoming hardware is even more likely to work. Here's how to figure out if you can save money with netbooks.

Why Do You Need New Systems?
Don't rely on netbooks beyond their light-use design. If you're replacing aging desktop PCs, netbooks will likely run at similar speeds without any perceived upgrade over the old hardware. A smaller case is nice but probably nets a result of wasted money.

Get through lean times by watching your business expenses like a dieter tracking calories. Is the cost of your ISP bandwidth and IT support worth hosting your own Exchange Server? Many businesses can save money with an offsite, hosted Exchange Server.

Self-hosting, up-front fees sting the hardest. Let's first figure you'd buy Small Business Server Standard for about $1,000 and a middle-weight server for about $1,500. That'd get you support for five users at an initial cost of about $2,500. Additional user licenses run $77 each. So for a business of about 20, you'd pay more than $3,500 to get started, and you'd likely pay more for help from an IT consultant.

Accounts payable and receivable are critical facets of any small business. Sometimes the smallest businesses focus on their product and shirk these tasks--I know I have. But a simple online invoicing system can save hassle and time.

FastDue could be a good option because of its simplicity, features, and online approach. Supported by ads, it's even free to use, although the company eventually plans some sort of premium, paid features. Small businesses with only a few employees will probably get the most out of the site, and I noticed a few growing pains in its young state. But built-in contract templates and the always-available online approach could help businesses of a dozen or more.

If your PC groans every time it launches Microsoft Office, it might be time for an upgrade or outright replacement. Here’s how to save money with a careful order.

Decide between an upgrade and new system; if budgets are tight, you might be able to make current PCs last with a few improvements. Bolster an old PC with the right parts: RAM, CPU, hard drive, and video card, roughly in that order.