Crisis,Management,Connectivity business, insurance Crisis Management Connectivity & Accessibility: Staying
Small offices have unique needs, and thatincludes document shredding. Designed with the smaller business inmind, the Dahle 20314 is a cross-cut shredder that offers Level 3security and brings you into compliance with federal regulations. The As we all know to live in this world we have to perform some activity by which we can earn money. There are many activities by which we can earn money and meet the standards to live in this society. And from one of them is franchise. Franc
I thought I'd share with you how I attempt to achieve thisgoal, with some significant success. I also welcome your ideas forpublication, and I'm always open to checking out new systems andtechnologies that could be of assistance. Please know that I can'twrite about everything I review, but if it impresses me it's bound toresult in an article or two. And I also have to point out that whatworks for me, as a small consultancy operating as a virtual agency onlarger cases, wouldn't necessarily work for others.Staying OnlineI need Internet and email access to operate my business at itspeak efficacy. Ideally, I want to be able to continuously use myOutlook-based email system. Yet I found, often the hard way, that:* Some locations, even major hotels, don't have currently functioning Internet access.* Sometimes my local ISP "goes down" for an indeterminate period of time.* Client locations, given today's IT security needs, seldomafford me the ability to send email out from Outlook, although I may beable to access Web-based email if they will at least allow me to run mybrowser through their server.* On the go -- even in the back of a car -- I might want to receive or send email or access the Internet.Here's what I do:* Ensure I Don't Rely On Any Single Service. You'll see what I mean as you read the rest of this.* Use Sprint PCS When No Broadband Is Available. I have twocomputers, my desktop and my notebook (usually used for travel butfully capable of replacing my desktop on a few minutes notice -- I'lltalk about data backup and restoration in another article). At home ortraveling, I can connect to the local broadband service by ethernetcable or wirelessly. But when that's not possible, I have a SPRINT PCScard for my notebook computer that allows me to get pretty-darn-fastInternet and email access using a service completely different than myprimary ISP (Adelphia). For the non-technical, a PCS card is a specialcard-shaped device that slides into a slot on your notebook computerand which is able to call into the SPRINT network wirelessly. Verizon,Cingular, T-mobile and, I believe, other services have their own PCScards, SPRINT just happens to be the fastest-speed service I could findin my local market.* Use My Cingular-powered Blackberry When Needs Must. Face it,typing on a computer (at least for an experienced keyboard user) is oneheck of a lot easier than thumbing a Blackberry keyboard. However, Ihave found my Blackberry to have multiple uses in the area ofconnectivity and accessibility:o It gives me a third Internet service to use if no others are available.o Its Internet/browser access is quite decent.o I can and do maintain a separate Blackberry email address formy clients to use in the event of urgent communications AND in theevent that my primary email server is down. I choose not to "sync" myOutlook email with the Blackberry, the volume of regular email (I triedit once) just buries the tiny device.o Oh yeah -- it's a telephone too, one which has powerful dataduplication capability (i.e., storing every contact and appointmentfrom my Outlook program).* Host My Email And Website On Yet Another Service. I use arelatively small but very reliable service, BAPORT.COM, to host myBernstein Crisis Management website and my email. Hence, even at home,if Adelphia has crashed, I can use my SPRINT PCS card to retrieve myemail from the BAPORT server. If BAPORT goes down, and it has, it stillhas a backup system which stores incoming emails and eventually getsthem to me -- and I alert my clients to cc my Blackberry address untilfurther notice.* Become Skilled At The Use Of Wi-Fi Sites. If you are goingto be engaged in any form of crisis response, it is an essential, notoptional, skill to become VERY familiar with how to access your emailand other Internet functions from a "wi-fi site" -- i.e., anywherewhere wireless access can be found, which could even be your localStarbucks. AND, to know how to operate securely from such a site. I'mpretty good at this but I don't feel competent to "train" you in thetechniques. Rather, I strongly urge you to get your IT department, oreven the "Geek Squad" from your local computer store, to do so ASAP.Use of these tools and methods is guaranteed to better protectyour business against crises and prepare you for a rapid response. Article Tags: Crisis Management, Staying Online
Crisis,Management,Connectivity