We're as connected as we've ever been, with our clients and colleagues at our fingertips and the ability to do business from anywhere, and yet, no matter how high-speed the office broadband is, the crucial end-game parts of commerce are often impossible via a screen.

When you get down to brass tacks, if you're providing goods or services, you're going to need to get from A to B physically.

Having adequate transportation has been crucial for any firm worth its salt for longer than even the combustion engine's been around, but just because it's an old-school challenge, you shouldn't immediately forego a modern approach.

As we approach the calendar's middle mark, many companies will be sizing up brand new motors with a 162 reg.

Before taking the plunge and committing yourself to a car or entire fleet that will only start losing value and giving you hassle as soon as you make the purchase, consider the alternative.

If you want to ditch the deprecation and keep up-to-date, long-term vehicle rental could be the flexible, hassle-free choice for you.

If you're after car or van rental custom-built for business, Europcar Business Fleet Services is one of the handiest ways to go in Ireland, and with over 16 locations dotted around the Republic, it gives you easy access to vehicles in the areas your business needs them.

Here are seven reasons why it could be the right move to get your company moving...

• Freedom to change: Forget the one-size-fits-all approach – with long-term rental making sense for a firm whose transport needs vary. Renting makes fleet adjustment no big deal, allowing you to shuffle the type of vehicles at your disposal depending on the task at hand.

• Cost efficiency: Why have five vans sitting outside your offices, costing you money, if you've no current use for them? If business is a little slow, you can easily reduce your number until things pick up, without early return penalties in Europcar's case. Similarly, if you're a company that's growing fast, making additions quickly and easily will be important and save you in the long-run.

• Off-balance sheet funding: Who needs your mode of transport becoming an albatross around your neck? A costly necessity that can weigh heavily on the balance sheet, if you opt to rent, suddenly the annual expense becomes more manageable and there's no shadow of large debt over your books.

• No depreciation: All vehicles are going to get older and – often quite rapidly – lose their value, but you don't have to be lumbered with them. If you go with Europcar, for example, you can be guaranteed your staff will always be getting behind a wheel of a modern vehicle. Terrible resell value isn't something you'll have to worry about, while your fleet will be in tip-top shape, all the time. Not only that...

• Mobile advertising: ...They'll look good, and help spread the message that your brand is as modern as it gets wherever they travel. A lot better than having to send a member of your team out in a dated motor with a scratched paint job and dodgy window wipers because you still have debt to pay off.

• Full-service: The cost of buying a car or van is not a one-off thing. With renting, everything else that comes with getting road-ready will already be taken care of, so you don't have to worry about road tax, the cost of maintenance, or that annual DOE test.

• A helping hand: In the case of Europcar, you'll have a team of fleet specialists a mere phone call away if you run into any difficulties whatsoever. Backseat drivers are annoying, but having an expert in the metaphorical passenger seat can really put your mind at ease and allow you to focus on the business at hand.