I had a strong hunch other solopreneurs and small business owners had problems keeping IT up and running, and that hunch is being confirmed. I’ve had several nice emails appreciating the series, so thanks for that.
Last week I wrote about the importance of having two systems, two notebooks or desktops, so that if one system stops working, you can move to the other with minimal disruption.
That only works if you have duplicate capabilities outside your system. Having two systems does you no good if you lack two ways to connect to the Internet, or two copies of your business applications and data.
As a technology marketer, I feel hamstrung without Internet connectivity. If that’s true for you, you might consider a few of these most common options.
I base my business on a standard service from AT&T that is a very fast 24 Mbps fiber connection to my home. But I also pay my mobile phone provider $15/month for the ability to ‘tether’, or use my cellular Internet connection with my laptop. It’s not as fast, but it’s adequate for basic surfing, email, and blogging, and has the great benefit of being mobile — I can use it at home if my wired Internet fails, or in the airport.
Another option, though it can also be costly, is getting a separate wireless broadband card for your notebook. Sold through cell phone providers, you’ll usually have an initial charge for the card, and then a monthly charge for the service. It can be faster than tethering your cell phone, but it’s also another piece of technology to purchase and keep up to date.
A less expensive options is to scout out several places near your office that have free or inexpensive Wi-Fi connectivity. Before I started paying for mobile tethering, if my home Internet failed, I simply ran over to a local coffeeshop to send and receive emails. In fact, that’s how I’m blogging right now — using a coffeeshop connection instead of sitting at home.
In my next post, I’ll talk about data and application redundancy — and work to put a spin on conventional advice.