Riverbank It management

What you can do and how well you can do it depends on the quality of your Internet connection. You need to be ready to cope with a great connection, limited connectivity, or none at all. It also depends on what equipment you have with you – your laptop computer, a mobile phone, or nothing at all.

Here are some ideas that work well and will help you to extract value from every moment of your working day.

Using your laptop

The laptop computer has become a constant companion for many of us – just take a look at the number of laptop users on any rush-hour train journey. There is a strong desire to make the most of every minute, and minimise downtime when travelling.

USB data modem

Our favourite way of connecting to the Internet when travelling is the USB data modem. It uses mobile telephone technology to connect your computer to the Internet. It looks like a USB data stick, but it is really a mobile phone with its own SIM card. Some laptops now come with these modems built-in – just slide in your SIM card and you’re away.

We like these mobile data modems because they really do work, and they work reliably. They are available from most mobile phone providers on fixed-cost deals, though you do need to be aware of usage limits and overseas use.

Wireless hot-spot

Public wireless networks, or ‘hot-spots’ can be a useful way to connect to the Internet. At some locations, such as airports and railway stations, they can be very expensive. In other locations such as cafés they are offered free of charge. Just make sure your laptop firewall is turned on – you don’t want to discover that the person diligently working at the table opposite is actually hard at work breaking into your computer.

Many local authorities are planning or implementing free public wireless Internet access. The trend is towards providing public Internet access as a standard part of a city’s infrastructure, just like pavements and street lights.

Working offline

Even in today’s connected world there are still plenty of occasions when there is no Internet connection available. You still need to be able to work offline.

There are two common needs when working offline – being able to use Outlook and having access to documents that are stored on your office network.

Outlook is a very flexible piece of software. You can easily make it available offline, and continue to use Outlook. Just work in the same way as you would if you were online. Outbound e-mails are stored in Outlook’s outbox, and are sent automatically when you are next connected.

You can also carry with you offline copies of network documents. A feature of the Windows operating system called Offline folders makes copies of network folders and documents, so you can work on them when you are disconnected from the network. When you next connect to the office network all changes are synchronised.

Although it’s not flawless, offline folders works well if you manage it carefully. This includes taking the minimum of data offline, rather than taking gigabytes of stuff on the off-chance you might need it.

Using your mobile phone

Having e-mail delivered to your mobile phone is a must if you want to stay close to your clients. You can respond more quickly and simply provide a more responsive service. You don’t have to feel hounded by your e-mail. You can after all just turn it off when you are not at work.

The choice of handset is entirely up to you. Choose from BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Mobile. BlackBerry is the established option for the more corporate end of the market. Windows Mobile is your choice if you want a miniature version of your laptop computer, including pocket versions of Word and Excel. iPhone is leading the way in terms of user interface and ease of use.

Pocket-sized mobile devices like these do have one inevitable drawback; their size. The buttons on their keyboards inevitably become smaller than the human finger, and until we find a better way of getting information into small devices this limits their ability to be a laptop-replacement. But they are still an essential part of the mobile worker’s armoury.

Internet café

If you are on the move and do not have your own computer with you, your only option is the Internet café or hotel lobby computer. For security reasons these computers usually severely limit what you can do and what you can run. They also represent a security nightmare for your business because they could be infected with any and every computer virus. But the Internet café is still a useful last resort.

Outlook Web Access enables you to work on your e-mail via a web browser. It gives you an Outlook-like interface for your e-mail, diary, contacts and so on.

If you need full ‘just like being in the office’ access to your network, you need a Terminal Services server as part of your office network. Terminal Services enables you to run a remote-control session on your office network, and it is a great system. It’s also very secure, since no data leaves your office network; only keystrokes, mouse clicks and screen updates are transmitted.

Wherever you are working there is a way to remain productive. A little preparation and advance planning will enable you to have the systems in place that you will need. Contact Riverbank on 01844 278036 or e-mail help@riverbank.co.uk, or ask for the Riverbank guide to flexible working.