What does it mean to go mobile? When people say 'I am going to be mobile today', what does that really entail? Is it just an idea? Are they really mobile or do they just say that because is justifies them being out of the office? The truth is there are a lot of meanings to the phrase and most people probably just throw it out there without thinking. However take a second and really consider the power of REALLY going mobile. Where everything that you need is with you!
The need to be able to work from anywhere and truly have easy access to everything and everyone at work has now become paramount in my life and not just for myself. My wife is a CPA and now that we are having children, the ability for her to be able to work from home is very important. Because we have both become executives with an incredible amount of responsibility, and our input is required on many projects across a broad scale, being able operate from a remote location is incredibly valuable. We are able to easily access email, voicemail, calendars, invoices, tasks and much more from a remote workplace that can easily be set up anywhere. Recently we were even able to travel to a business conference together and set up a remote workplace in our hotel room. I can tell you it was a welcome relief to be able to keep work from piling up while we were gone and keep our projects moving forward instead of waiting for our return.
For many business people 'going mobile' has simply meant they are leaving their offices and will be available on their mobile phones. With the advent of internet capable phones they can even get their email and surf the web from their phones. But many times the capabilities of the mobile phones still limit the time that someone can truly be away from the office. You really can't do everything you need to from your mobile phone, even if it is a smart phone. However, using simple technology that is already built into your exist computers and software, you can set up a remote workplace, a virtual office if you will, anywhere!
Most people's first need in a remote environment is going to be voice communications and this has been solved by the mobile phone. The second need is having a computer and the laptop has met this need as well. Both of these we have had for awhile, but I would say that although these are both powerful they still don't truly represent a mobile office until you can connect back to your office and do everything just as if you were physically in your real office.
In order to do that you have several options. One option is using a paid service like gotomypc.com. This option does have a cost associated with it, but it is simple, intuitive and easy to set up. If you don't have an IT person that can help you or you are a beginner this is a great option. You install software on your laptop as well as your desktop back at your office and you are now remotely controlling your desktop from your laptop in the field. FYI - you can already do this for free if you have Microsoft Windows! Windows has a remote desktop program already built into it. The setup of remote desktop is more complicated and requires some knowledge and computer savvy to set up… but its free! There are also some complications that could arise if your network is secure as it should be. Soft wares like gotomypc.com eliminate these problems by using a separate connection service and that is why it is easier to set up, but costs a monthly fee. If your laptop is your main computer and you don't have a desktop at the office then VPN software is another option. It allows you to connect to your office network securely and have access to all of the network resources just as if you were in the office. With all of these options you can access files, print, and use programs just as if you were physically there.
In addition to connecting directly to your computer using your laptop, your existing phone system may be able to route your calls from your office phone directly to your cell phone. Most phone systems should have voicemail notification and some simple call transfer options built into them these days and some even have Voice over IP capability. At my home, I have an IP phone that links though my internet connection back to my office phone system. It is an actual phone extension off of the system at my office. People at my office can intercom me and transfer calls to me just as if I was sitting in my office… except I'm not! When I make calls from that phone, the calls are going out from the phone system at my office and it appears to my customers that I am calling them from the office. I can even take that phone with me wherever I go as long as I have a high speed internet connection!
The convenience of all of this is that you probably already have most of this technology and just need to take the time to set it up. The added productivity and value is truly worth it, not to mention the freedom of being able to be anywhere.
Josh Cochran
JoshC@DiverseCTI.com