Depending on your business there are various things that are crucial to keep it running. Pretty much 90% of my business relies on access to a computer, spreadsheets, word documents, websites, blogs, social media etc. so for me, my laptop is probably the most crucial element. Last week, it ceased to function which meant that I couldn’t do any work.
Luckily, I was prepared for such a disaster. (Having experienced it a few years ago, I learned my lesson!) I now have a spare laptop, and a small netbook, and I receive my emails on my phone.
But actually, that’s not enough. It’s no good if you can’t get to your documents, or log into the various websites that you need access to. I keep all my passwords in a password protected spreadsheet, but the sheer volume of passwords I need for both myself and my clients makes this unwieldy to update. And it’s all very well seeing my emails, but I can’t download attachments, make changes, print out etc from my phone.
So here’s my Emergency Toolkit:
- At least 1 spare laptop
- Password management tool that stores my passwords and shares information across the devices I use (Roboform Everywhere)
- Password protected spreadsheet as back-up to the password management tool
- Cloud based storage system for files, folders and documents (Dropbox)
- Support plan with an IT consultant
- Access to my emails via webmail which means that I can log on via any device connected to the internet
As an added bonus, this emergency toolkit also means that I can work from pretty much anywhere with an internet connection. If I need to use a different laptop, or log in from someone else’s computer, I lose access to my online passwords, but as these are replicated in my spreadsheet I can still find them.
What does your business rely on? Are you prepared in case the worst happens?