After years in the office, former Network World events editor launches a home business
It feels like home to be back on the virtual pages of Network World Fusion. Some of you might know I recently left Network World after nine years to start my own publishing business.
At Network World, I was events editor, developing content and moderating our Technology Tour road shows. We addressed the needs of not only IT managers for large enterprises, but also the growing legions of people managing small office/home office networks.
At first, their biggest concern was what type of transport to choose – DSL or cable. But quickly topics evolved to concerns similar to those in the enterprise. People wanted to know how to add wireless laptop access without jeopardizing network security or causing frequency interference. They wanted to know the top anti-virus software so they could stop losing days of productivity to outbreaks. They wanted to know how to improve the software patching and updating process so they wouldn’t miss improvements for critical applications.
On these tours, we started an important dialogue about the needs of home-based workers I’ll continue here. In Home Base, I’ll bring you the latest tips and tools for creating top-notch networks, as well as the latest issues surrounding small businesses and the technologies we use. I’ll also share insights on problems I’ve encountered and how I’ve solved them.
One thing you’ll learn about me – and those of you who have read my “Web Business” and “IT Education and Training” newsletters in the past know – is that I’m a tinkerer. I love trying new things. In the past, that has caused groans among the IT staff at the companies I worked for. Now I feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – whatever I break, I fix.
In fact, I’ve developed this list of rules for myself.
1. Don’t download anything off the ’Net that hasn’t been vetted in some way – either through friends or research.
2. Only spend time on tinkering when it will add to the productivity of the business. In other words, the latest installment of Myst is out.
3. Don’t add things to the network just to add things to the network. The other day there was a sale on PDAs. While I was excited at the thought of a new gadget, I restrained myself as it would mean one more thing to manage.
4. Make sure there’s a clear return policy. A recent misstep almost cost me $250. I bought business software that just wasn’t able to install on my system no matter how much I searched through the company’s knowledge center for tips or turned off parts of my network. But when I tried to return it to the store after only a day, I was hassled. Luckily, there was a clear-as-day “no risk 30-day trial” sticker on the box, so I won that battle.
5. Backup. Backup. Backup. Take the time each day and back up your system. You’re your only recourse in a network crash. And think of what you will lose – that alone should be impetus to either store data on an external drive or write important files to CD.
6.Take a moment to prioritize. Think about what on your system is mission-critical and then pay particular attention to those programs, that set of data, those contacts, whatever you could not live without.
7. Make friends with other home-based workers. There’s nothing like calling up a peer when your system has crashed or an application isn’t loading right. Sitting in your house alone pulling your hair out is a waste of time. Make sure you have connections to solve your trickiest problems.
Each of these rules was borne of trial and error. The trick when you err is to learn, document and move forward. And always, always share with others so they can avoid the same pitfalls.
