From James Bucki, former About.com Guide

The presentation, manipulation and storage of information are important aspects to the operation of your business. These basic functions are normally accomplished through a suite of office automation software like Microsoft Office. Unfortunately, this can be an expensive endeavor to install it on each and every computer in your business. Fortunately a group of developers at OpenOffice.org have collaborated to write a free set of office automation software tools that is very comparable to the Microsoft Office suite.

Writer: Free Word Processing Software

Writer is a fully functional word processing program and desktop publishing software that is suitable for business use. It has all the features that you would expect to see in a professional word processor. For example, formatting, application of styles, spell checking, auto completion, and many more. It is easy enough to use for a beginner to write a quick memo and powerful enough for an author to write a complete book.

Replacement for: Microsoft Word

Calc: Free Spreadsheet Software

Calc is a spreadsheet program that is intuitive and easy to learn but yet has a full set of numerical data analysis tools. This spreadsheet package is powerful enough to allow you to complete your numerical tasks quickly and efficiently.

Replacement for: Microsoft Excel

Impress: Free Presentation Software

Impress is an outstanding presentation software package that allows you to create presentations that will deliver your message in a clear and exciting way to your audience. The tools that Impress provides will help you create simple presentations in a minimal amount of time. And yet it is sophisticated enough to create the most complex and stunning presentations that you can imagine.

Replacement for: Microsoft Power Point

Base: Free Database Software

Base provides you with all the power of a fully functional database program. You can define tables, forms, queries and reports to match the special data processing needs and your business. To help you create your database programs most efficiently, Base provides easy to use wizards to speed the development process.

Replacement for: Microsoft Access

Draw: Free Graphics and Design Software

Draw allows you to draw anything from a quick sketch to a complicated set of plans, to layouts and even organizational charts. You can then manipulate the objects on the screen to create realistic images and graphics to represent your ideas in a clear and concise way.

Replacement for: Microsoft Visio

Where Do I Get this Free Software?

If you'd like to find out more information or would like to download the free software packages mentioned above, go to OpenOffice.org.