5 Tips to Creating the Remote Office
I did it I took the leap and made myself completely mobile. Over the next month we will be announcing our expansion into another market and the opening of our new office. During this process I needed to be extremely mobile with access to the Internet at all times and constant access to my files. Over the past few weeks I really needed to feel like I was working in my main office no matter where I happened to be.
How have I done it you ask? Here are the items that have made my life easier.
Hosted Exchange: This is a service I have been using for almost 3 years; this allows my company the full functionality of a Microsoft Exchange server for about 1/3 the cost. I can share my calendar and contacts, plus view all my email sent and received no matter what computer I work on. This system links to my blackberry wirelessly; that means when I schedule something on my Outlook desktop it appears on my handheld without using the sync cable. In case you are wondering most small businesses use POP email accounts. (Click here for a link to see the difference between exchange & pop email)
Cell phone / Blackberry: Having an all-in-one smart phone makes staying connected easier, you can choose the style that works best with your business but getting emails on a hand-held devices keeps me updated. [ I do however want to point out that I turn it off in meetings. Don’t loose focus in client meetings the email will be there when you get done.] Remind people that your blackberry is there to help you stay in touch, but you do not read it every second of the day. If I am focusing on a project I close my email and turn the blackberry to quiet. This device has helped me find out if our designers have completed projects or if a client needs help. I can make use of my time on the road and not feel the anxiety of wondering if the email I was expecting has arrived. Did I mention that while I am away if I add an appointment to my blackberry everyone in my office can see a real-time view of the calendar due to the combination of the hosted exchange with my blackberry – very exciting.
Laptop: Mine just happens to be a Sony Vaio it is actually the second Vaio I have owned. I chose this particular brand and model because it had excellent processing speed and RAM, along with the extras like additional firewire plugs and usb connections. I even have a slot for reading the memory card from my digital camera (these features are becoming pretty common on laptops now). My favorite thing about my Vaio is that it is light-weight to carry along with the 3 other books and files that seem to way down my bag.
Verizon’s broadband access card: Yes my laptop came with wireless but finding hot-spots outside of New York is not easy so I took the plunge and invested in a broadband wireless card. Now I can sit in a parking lot or a client’s office and not have to worry about whether I can get internet or not – I can. The cost for this service is not inexpensive, but over the past year I have wasted more time trying to find a wireless hotspot that I could connect to when I really needed one. It is worth it, to me at least, just to be able to email out the proposal or check a web site with out the stress of wondering if I can find a connection.
Log-me in remote software: Remote access to desktop computers is not a new concept; corporations do this by using services like Citrix and small business alike need to use this technology. One of the more popular brands out there is Go To My PC and I think they are fantastic; however I opted to use Log-me In software. I decided to use them because I have a paid account and I could add an additional computer for free. I did this because occasionally I need something from my home computer and did not want to pay for an additional computer. Either software application works well try them both and see which works better for you.
Coffee (the un-official gadget): like most people, not all, I can’t truly get going with out my coffee and I’d like to say thank you to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts for always being there to re-charge my battery.
There are so many great technologies out there that can help you be comfortable when you travel. I have touched on the 5 that have really made a difference to me over the past few weeks. Tell me some of your favorite technologies that help you stay in-touch when you’re on the go.
How have I done it you ask? Here are the items that have made my life easier.
- Hosted Exchange with a Blackberry Enterprise Server
- Cell Phone / Blackberry
- Sony Vaio Laptop
- Verizon’s broadband access card
- Log-me in remote software
- Coffee (the un-official gadget)
Hosted Exchange: This is a service I have been using for almost 3 years; this allows my company the full functionality of a Microsoft Exchange server for about 1/3 the cost. I can share my calendar and contacts, plus view all my email sent and received no matter what computer I work on. This system links to my blackberry wirelessly; that means when I schedule something on my Outlook desktop it appears on my handheld without using the sync cable. In case you are wondering most small businesses use POP email accounts. (Click here for a link to see the difference between exchange & pop email)
Cell phone / Blackberry: Having an all-in-one smart phone makes staying connected easier, you can choose the style that works best with your business but getting emails on a hand-held devices keeps me updated. [ I do however want to point out that I turn it off in meetings. Don’t loose focus in client meetings the email will be there when you get done.] Remind people that your blackberry is there to help you stay in touch, but you do not read it every second of the day. If I am focusing on a project I close my email and turn the blackberry to quiet. This device has helped me find out if our designers have completed projects or if a client needs help. I can make use of my time on the road and not feel the anxiety of wondering if the email I was expecting has arrived. Did I mention that while I am away if I add an appointment to my blackberry everyone in my office can see a real-time view of the calendar due to the combination of the hosted exchange with my blackberry – very exciting.
Laptop: Mine just happens to be a Sony Vaio it is actually the second Vaio I have owned. I chose this particular brand and model because it had excellent processing speed and RAM, along with the extras like additional firewire plugs and usb connections. I even have a slot for reading the memory card from my digital camera (these features are becoming pretty common on laptops now). My favorite thing about my Vaio is that it is light-weight to carry along with the 3 other books and files that seem to way down my bag.
Verizon’s broadband access card: Yes my laptop came with wireless but finding hot-spots outside of New York is not easy so I took the plunge and invested in a broadband wireless card. Now I can sit in a parking lot or a client’s office and not have to worry about whether I can get internet or not – I can. The cost for this service is not inexpensive, but over the past year I have wasted more time trying to find a wireless hotspot that I could connect to when I really needed one. It is worth it, to me at least, just to be able to email out the proposal or check a web site with out the stress of wondering if I can find a connection.
Log-me in remote software: Remote access to desktop computers is not a new concept; corporations do this by using services like Citrix and small business alike need to use this technology. One of the more popular brands out there is Go To My PC and I think they are fantastic; however I opted to use Log-me In software. I decided to use them because I have a paid account and I could add an additional computer for free. I did this because occasionally I need something from my home computer and did not want to pay for an additional computer. Either software application works well try them both and see which works better for you.
Coffee (the un-official gadget): like most people, not all, I can’t truly get going with out my coffee and I’d like to say thank you to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts for always being there to re-charge my battery.
There are so many great technologies out there that can help you be comfortable when you travel. I have touched on the 5 that have really made a difference to me over the past few weeks. Tell me some of your favorite technologies that help you stay in-touch when you’re on the go.
3 Comments:
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Excellent article - I'm passing it along to many of my friends who are in similar situations to yours. Lots of good ideas here. Thanks for putting it all in one place
Great Article - I'm passing it along to many of my friends who operate as you do. It's nice to see all this in a single place, and concise.
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