The evolution of remote computing

Dave Bell reports live from Queensland on how to have your cake - or holiday - and enjoy it too.

If you never take holidays and are always at the office then don't bother reading this article.  If however you enjoy having anywhere from a few days to a few weeks off then do read on.

Most of us enjoy our holidays; but unless you work for a very large company the chances are that you will need to stay in contact with your office while you are away.  This could be due to some unforeseen problems that arise while you are away, or you are working on a major project with your colleagues that you still need to do; or you may wish to check on sales figures while you are away.  And sometimes you simply run out of time to finish all the work before the plane leaves and you need to have it completed it after you have arrived at your destination.

Five years ago this would have meant hanging around internet cafes along with assorted backpackers and other tourists to check your emails. Thankfully, this is no longer the case.

Today, you can use your mobile phone to check your emails.  If you have taken your laptop with you, you can have an external wireless modem or use your mobile phone to access the internet anywhere your mobile phone will work.  You can check your email anywhere.  If your office also has Microsoft Terminal Server available then you can logon to your office network the same way as you do in your own office.

At the moment I am writing this in Noosa Heads, Queensland.  Unfortunately internet access does not improve the weather - it is raining.

TIP. If you are traveling overseas the best way to backup important documents is to email them to yourself.  That way if your laptop is stolen or breaks down you can easily retrieve your documents.

Enjoy your next holiday!