HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR A TECH EMERGENCY WHILE TRAVELING FOR WORK

Have you ever had a tech emergency while travelling for work? Always have a back up plan for what you’ll do if something happens to your device or in case your tech fails you while you’re miles from your office. Follow these tips before you go…

Back up your devices to the cloud

While computers, smartphones and tablets are expensive to replace, the data stored on them could be just as valuable. If you’re backing up your devices to the cloud and syncing your files with other devices then hopefully you shouldn’t lose much data if something happens to one or more of your devices.

Make sure you have access

Ensure you can securely access everything you need through a desktop browser or another device. Don’t leave without knowing all the logins and passwords required to get up and running again.

Check your two-factor authentication set up

Always secure your devices themselves with good password hygiene and encryption on laptops. But in the event it’s broken or stolen, know what you need in order to regain access. Will you need to receive a two-factor authentication code to access your accounts on new devices? In this situation, check whether your services offer single-use passwords or other workarounds that wont compromise the security of your device.

Apps and Services

Make a note of what apps and services you’d need to set up on your smartphone in the event you need to rely on it to keep working should your notebook be out of action. You probably can’t completely replicate your desktop workflow on a mobile device, so think about which tasks are essential when you’re on the road and which can wait until you get back to your office.

Finally, installing a secure online password manager and mobile device management apps such as AirWatch and MaaS360. These will allow you to keep working and can give you the chance of securing and recovering lost mobiles or tablets.

Test your plan

Go through a trial run before you travel so you’re fully prepared — work on your backup devices for a day to see what’s vital and what you can temporarily live without in an emergency. Don’t wait until it’s too late to discover that your disaster recovery plan isn’t enough. Failure to do so could cost you multiple days worth of work.