The first thing you need to establish your business's presence on the Internet is, not surprisingly, to get your business's computers connected to it.Establishing your Internet connection has become increasingly easy over the years, and the vast majority of off-the-shelf computers on the market today have all the components you need to establish a simple connection. The most challenging question is the type of connection you want to establish, and that depends upon several factors, chiefly how much money you want to spend on Internet access and how much and how frequently you plan to use the connection. We'll explain your connection choices after we look at the software and hardware your computer needs to get started.

Software. An Internet-connected computer needs two pieces of software that often are part of the same package: a web browser and an e-mail client.

A web browser is the software you are using right now to read this tutorial. You can think of it as your steering wheel that lets you drive around the World Wide Web. Most computers that run the Windows operating system come bundled, at no extra charge, with the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie). In fact, Microsoft controls more than 90 percent of the web browser market, according to January 2005 estimates.

These same Windows-based computers come with a free e-mail client called Microsoft Outlook Express (http://www.Microsoft/windows/oe). This software, using the same Internet connection as your browser, lets you send and receive electronic mail (e-mail) and perform other related functions. For a more feature-rich e-mail client, you can buy Microsoft Outlook (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010857931033.aspx), which goes beyond e-mail functions to include tools you will find useful in your business communications.

With Outlook, you can store detailed contact information, schedule meetings, and keep a digital appointment book. Many businesses find Outlook a more complete e-mail and scheduling tool than Outlook Express and are willing to pay extra for it.

Although Internet Explorer is used by a large majority of Internet users, it certainly isn't your only choice. Netscape Navigator (http://www.netscape.com), which had a greater market share of the browser market in the 1990s than Internet Explorer, is also a feature-rich web browser suitable for business use. A relatively new browser called Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox), an offshoot of Netscape Navigator, has made inroads with Internet users in recent months, but hasn't seen widespread adoption by businesses. Opera (http://www.opera.com) is the best known of the other alternative web browsers you might want to consider. For more about browsers, click the Web Browsers section of this tutorial.

Hardware. Other than computers themselves, of course, your computers will need modems to connect to the Internet. A modem (short for modulator-demodulator) is a hardware device that converts digital information into analog information so it can be sent over ordinary telephone lines. The information is then reconverted to digital information at the computer receiving the information. In other words, a modem helps computers connected to the Internet exchange information.

A built-in modem used for telephone line connections to the Internet are standard issue in consumer and office computers sold today.