Best Practices For Long Assignments
Many of us have been technology road warriors since before the name was fashionable. Some of us remember the joy of acoustic couplers and the satisfying Niagara Falls of noises accompanying a good connection. We’ve migrated to PDAs, Blackberries, Pod Casts and sound reducing headphones. All of these devices designed to make us more productive and accessible on the road. But what happens if you have two ‘home’ bases? What are the best practices to keep your operation seamlessly humming in two different places?
In mid June we closed on a second home in Idaho. My wife and I are both virtual workers and we have had separate but equal technology for the past 30 odd years or so. The task of setting up a second home office, one which would be dependable and fit our new lifestyle fell primarily to me.
Prior to setting up the new place, I had the opportunity of working on a 90 day assignment at the CDC in Atlanta. When I prepared to deploy on that assignment I had no idea I would soon be setting up a second home base, but the deployment preparation and time on site gave me some valuable lessons.
Reliable Laptop With A Big Screen
A laptop is the mainstay of mobile home office computing. Sure you can use your smart phone or PDA to send and receive e-mail, but there is no way that you can create that key PowerPoint presentation or draft that complex document on one of those little guys. A big screen is helpful because you can work in parallel mode on two documents at the same time. This is quite productive. A big screen has the secondary benefit of being an entertainment medium as well.
Understand How To Troubleshoot Internet Issues
Dealing with mobile Internet connections can be a pain. While you may need to know how to run ipconifg, you should be able to determine if the problem is with your computer, the connection to the Internet (wired or wireless), the site or application you’re trying to work with or perhaps the ISP.
A Large “J” Drive Is An Important Tool
The ability to move files from one place to another without resorting to e-mail contortions is a handy thing to have 4 GB is just about right.
Portable Back-up Disk
Assuming you don’t have all your files on line, a back-up of your desktop is a very good resource. While you may never need it, it’s good to have, especially if you need access to your pictures or very large files.
Cable Self-Sufficiency
Bring all the cables and car chargers you need with you and label them. Connecting your smart phone USB connection can cause your GPS to alter its electronic personality and think it is plugged into a computer when it is actually connected to the lighter socket in the rental car.
Check the Lighter in the Rental Car
Be aware that many rental car companies are disconnecting lighters in their cars to discourage smoking. If you’re on the road and need your GPS – better check it before you pull out.
These are a few of the lessons I learned the hard way, hopefully they will reduce your aggravation on the road.
Technology Lessons Learned on An Extended Assignment
Share to Facebook
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar