Many tend to think of phones as a detriment to productivity, given the potential for distractions. But smart businesses are utilising phone apps to maximise productivity, not reduce it. There are a ton of apps that are specifically designed to keep teams focused, organised, and fully functional. Check out some of the apps that should be essential in business environment. Some are free, others cost money, but all are helpful.

AndrOpen Office

First and foremost is AndrOpen Office. It is, essentially, a direct port of the full suite found in OpenOffice. This includes a word processor, spreadsheet functionality, presentation apps, a drawing app, and much more.

Simply put, this is the easiest way to get full office compatibility between a PC and an Android phone. All files should work seamlessly, meaning that a phone can now be an extension of an office workstation. Most impressive of all is that AndrOpen Office is completely free.

Google Drive

There isn’t much that can be said about Google Drive that hasn’t already. It is a cloud storage service, essentially making any device capable of connecting to the internet able to share the same files. Simply uploading to Google Drive means that everyone connected to the same drive can access the files.

Cloud storage is basically essential in any office, dramatically streamlining productivity and interoffice synchronicity. There is a free version with limited space, perfect for small offices, or paid versions for dramatically more space. Yes, Google Drive can also be accessed on any phone that has been correctly set up.

Microsoft Remote Desktop

Another relatively small app with a ton of applications, Microsoft Remote desktop is exactly what it sounds like. Forgot to do something important before you left the office? No problem, connect to your office PC with your phone and get it done. Yes, the service very simply allows you to control a remote computer with your phone, as easy as that. The app and service are both free, and the benefits speak for themselves. This means you could connect to your home PC, claim an online casino welcome bonus, and play completely remotely.

Quip

Quip hasn’t been around long, but many are already calling it the most useful app in any business. The idea is that an entire team can all share the same app, chat via built-in functionality, edit documents together, quickly share documents, and much more. The best part of Quip is that it is completely free. Given how useful Quip is it almost beggars belief that it is up for grabs to anyone, but there really is no paid version of any kind. Out of everything on this list, Quip deserves the most attention.

SmartOffice

SmartOffice is basically a free version of traditional Microsoft Office. Not as innovative as Quip, but just as functional as Microsoft Office, this is the safe middle ground. Before spending money on any apps be sure to check out the free alternatives, all of which are just as good, if not better than their paid counterparts.