By now, most employees are accustomed to working from home, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck in the home office every day.
You can work from the local coffee shop, overlooking the beach or park, in fact, anywhere you want to spend a bit of time in an environment conducive to productivity. As long as you put in the hours, most roles allow you to work from a remote camping spot or even another country (travel restrictions permitting).
But for a working life that affords this level of freedom, you must have the equipment to support the lifestyle. Here are our five IT essentials to maximise productivity on the go.
1)Top-quality laptop bag
Your laptop must be treated with the TLC it deserves to ensure longevity and performance.
Don’t carelessly shove the laptop into a backpack or carry it without protection as this will inevitably lead to unnecessary damage.
A quality, padded, water-resistant, purpose-made laptop bag will save your money-maker from the elements and the hard knocks of life on the road. When travelling, your laptop will be exposed to a range of temperatures and humidity levels. Buy some little bags of silica gel and slip a couple inside the smaller compartments where you store the USB sticks and cables, to help absorb moisture.
2) Screen cleaner
A pet peeve when on the move and exposed to the great outdoors is dirty screens.
Purchase a purpose-designed screen cleaner with antibacterial carbon nanotechnology. These special wipes will remove germs and marks on touchscreens as well as the usual build-up of fingerprints, oil, pollen and dust on laptops helping to protect the laptop and keep the screen clear.
3) WIFI hotspot
By choosing the most suitable device, you can connect to WIFI connection in over 100 countries. Either connect through your mobile phone hotspot or purchase a dedicated portable WIFI for a stable connection anywhere. Most dedicated hotspot devices have a long battery life to allow you to spend a full day uninterrupted and without having to worry about charging.
4) Laptop power bank
We all know about power banks for phones and tablets but having the capacity to charge a laptop is essential. The power bank you choose will need to be compatible as the average power bank will not come close to satisfying the power demands of the latest laptop. Get professional guidance to choose a suitable power bank as you need to consider ports and battery capacity as well as the power rating. With today’s technical capabilities, employers will no longer accept a flat battery as an excuse for low productivity!
5) Universal travel adapter
All’s well and good if you are travelling within Australia, but once you leave for foreign shores, countries all have their own types of power points. The universal travel adapter allows you to get plugged in and ready to work or recharge on the go at airports, hotels and foreign offices. Make sure you have one with you at all times to avoid any downtime on arrival.
There are lots of other nice-to-have IT items when you are working and travelling, but we’ve given you the bare essentials that will carry the most benefit. If you have any questions regarding working on the move or to troubleshoot any remote access problems, contact Buzz A Geek for professional help.
