IT travel tips - preparing your PC for the pool

Staying connected on holiday means making sure your IT is travel-ready

By TTM on 29 July 2009 in News

With more than half of British workers expected to stay in touch with the office on holiday this year tech experts are advising people to create a ‘holiday IT checklist’ before they go, so they pack the IT essentials along with sun cream, and ensure technology is travel-ready. 

British IT services firm, Conosco, which advises small businesses on their computing requirements, believes that Britain’s army of laptop carriers and Blackberry fanatics are often ill-prepared for their travels, despite their increasing reliance on technology.    

“Switching off on holiday – both mentally and technically – should be easy,” explains founder of Conosco, Ben Gladstone.  “But it’s becoming harder and harder for employees to leave the office behind, whether it’s fears over job security, wanting to stay in touch with customers and colleagues or simply being indispensible! 

To help those packing their bags and jetting off – as well as the expected 12m Brits holidaying at home – Conosco has published its five summer holiday IT travel tips:  

1.Don’t forget to pack your IT – add the essentials to your ‘must pack’ list, along with your passport, including charger, 3G dongle or card for laptop, waterproof neoprene laptop case and plug adaptors.  

2. Check IT is travel-ready – you don’t want to end up poolside with a dead Internet connection.  To check it really does work outside of the office (or home) go outside and test it before you leave (with Bermuda shorts on if you want to get into the holiday spirit!).    

3.Go through security – laptops and phones are easily lost or stolen while travelling.  Check passwords are complex enough (don’t write them down); set automatic screen locks on your laptop; and pin-code your mobile phone.  

4. Poolside IT – the beautiful villa you’re staying at might have Wifi, but don’t trust it!  Use a 3G adaptor - it will work almost anywhere.  While doing laps in the pools, your laptop batteries will last even less time than the average British Summer, so turn down screen brightness and set it to blank after a minute idle.  And, if you don’t want to be iPhoned-off by being woken up on your sun lounger every five minutes, turn off push email – plus your battery will last much longer.  

5. Giving it large (but not on the dance floor!) – large documents
are often too big for mobile connections, so try Google Docs to edit and store files on a website, and try web-based services like Terminal Servers to access your office PC securely from anywhere in the world.

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