Do you have the most cost efficient home office? Are you taking advantage of the many web based services that can substantially reduce your communication costs? How about a backup, maintenance, and disaster plan?
With more people working from home, it’s important to make sure that your technology supports your efforts. Here are things you need to know about working at home.
– You must have a private area that you can call your own. Do not operate on the kitchen table, play area, or living room. Make sure there are no distractions such as the family TV and dishwasher.
– There is no need for a separate Internet access account. Your modem and router can be used for both personal and business use simultaneously.
– Make sure that your signal strength from your wireless network is strong in the area that you will be working. If not, it is possible to extend the range of your wireless signal.
– If you don’t already have one, get your own computer. State of the art windows based computers are now in the $450-$500 range. Mac computers start at $999.
– Invest in an all-in-one wireless printer. It’s possible for multiple computers to print to one printer.
– All windows based computer on your network must have an anti-virus program installed. I also recommend you download a program such as malwarebytes.com to minimize the risk of having malicious software from entering your computer. At this time, these safeguards are not required for Mac computers.
– You should have a separate e-mail account for business and personal use.
– Use your cell phone as your business line. No need to pay for a separate business phone at home.
– Make sure that you understand how to use Skype. If you are in career transition and looking for a job, recruiters and employers are using it for interviewing purposes instead of flying you to their locations.
– Learn about cloud Computing. Chances are you are spending time out of your office and would love to be able to access your files from the road with either your smartphone or tablet.
– Do you have a backup and disaster strategy? Are your files backed up on an external hard drive or in The Cloud?
– Do you have someone you can call for tech support and maintenance?
If you need help with any of the points outlined above, feel free to contact me for a consultation. In addition, you can access my radio program “Working From Home,” by clicking on the link below.
