Managing a small business means concentrating on what makes your business unique and profitable -- not wasting time on mundane administrative tasks. Save hassle and save money by outsourcing them instead.

Hi Lifehacker, I'm planning to start out a new consulting business, and as it will be a one-man operation initially, I am looking at using a virtual office to field phone calls and to give clients a physical address that isn't my home office. I've looked into several different providers: is there anything I should watch out for or be mindful of when choosing a service?

Find-a-person-to-do-anything service Airtasker is handy for everything from finding IT help to having Lord Of The Fries delivered to your office. In a useful boost, Airtasker is now providing a basic insurance policy for its workers which covers them for public liability.

Managed security services provide an opportunity to improve your IT security without having to invest heavily in on-premises equipment. However, it seems the main reason we're adopting them is a more pragmatic one: there simply aren't enough security experts to go around.

After having flown to New York for a publicity summit, I received the news that Hurricane Sandy was heading in our direction. With no way to leave New York and trapped in a city which was rapidly shutting down, I contacted my virtual assistant for help.

Hey Lifehacker, Given today's technological advances and the rise in jobs where you can work remotely, how does one secure a job that can't be "offshored"? What are the "non-offshoreable" jobs?

When a technology firm shifts engineering jobs offshore, the primary driver is often reduced wages. However, according to veteran IT service provider Unisys, it can also reinvigorate innovation and lead to a fresh strategic direction for the company. From flexible timezone management to cultural and language differences, here are some of the lessons its engineering arm learned on the road to global unity.

Crowdsourcing design sites are useful if you want a logo designed, but overkill if you have a more basic task that requires simple graphics software expertise. Swiftly offers access to graphic designers who will perform simple tasks such as resizing, vectoring, logo tweaking or simple photo retouching for a flat $15 fee.

IT being moved offshore is not a new phenomenon, but it has gained extra headwind with the emergence of freelance exchanges which enable smaller companies to take advantage of cheaper overseas workers. Which countries attract the most money from Australian employers?

Australian find-a person-to-do-anything-service Airtasker says that IT-related tasks are amongst the most popular requests from its workforce. Would you be happy to enhance your career or supplement your income by helping strangers set up their web server?

We have all had at least one bad experience with dialling through to an Australian firm's call centre. A long wait. Finally an operator. Answering lots of questions the firm already has in their database. Getting disconnected as they transfer you to another division, and then having to start all over again.

Crowsourcing service Airtasker has offered an iPhone app since July this year. It now has an Android app as well, letting you seek out 'runners' for paid casual work. It's a free download for Android users.

Airtasker, the crowdsourcing service we've featured before, has expanded its coverage to Brisbane and Melbourne and rolled out its iPhone app.

Got a small task you need completed -- let's say assembling an IKEA bookshelf or cleaning your disgusting oven -- and don't have the time to do it yourself? Airtasker lets you advertise to find a local who might be willing to do the job for a small fee.

In larger organisations, it's often a given that external service providers will be used for many technology functions. But that doesn't mean that people working at the IT coalface are happy about it.