Tech For Free!

If you’re unfamiliar with the idea of “working from the clouds” or being “in the clouds” with regard to the use of technology, you may want to review my post on “Understanding the Clouds” before reading the rest of this post.

I regularly read various blogs such as Tech Crunch and Lifehacker in an effort to stay on top of new technology, and to learn from others how they are choosing to use technology. It is with this in mind that I thought it might be useful to share with you all how I’ve chosen to setup my cloud. You may not be in the same situation as I, but perhaps this might shed some light on how you could configure cloud services to best suit you. At the very least, consider the services I mention as an alternative backup plan for your data.

To understand my cloud configuration, you first need to understand my working situation (consider your own needs as you read on). I am a full-time telecommuter and I run my own technology consulting business. I use multiple computers (MacBook, iMac, iPad, iPhone, and Windows laptop) and I regularly work in a variety of locations including my home, office, coffee shops, hotels, etc. My greatest challenge in using multiple devices and working in a variety of locations is access to my files.

I started out carrying a flash drive with me, using Google Docs, emailing files to myself, and using Dropbox to share files with myself and others. As you can imagine, this quickly became problematic as I began to run into version control problems. To combat this, I mapped out a plan for myself that would allow me to access my critical files when I needed them no matter what device I was using.

My Cloud

My Email
I use Gmail to manage my email accounts (I have many and they each have their own domain names). I’ve set Gmail to drop each email account into it’s own folder, AND I can send messages using the domain name of any of my accounts. Because Gmail is web-based I can use any computer with an internet connection to access it, and I’ve configured my mobile devices to access Gmail using their native email apps.

My Documents
To share files across computers whether they were basic Word docs, or web files, I decided to use pro version of Dropbox. My data size requirements dictated that I upgrade to their 100GB plan at $20/month, but you may not need that much space.

To efficiently work across devices, I created a file structure that I would use across all devices and then I added my files from each device. Now, I only work from my DropBox folder.

What’s particularly nice about Dropbox is that the file is not only stored on Dropbox’s server, it’s also stored locally on my computer. This means no delays/pauses while working, and I can access the file on my computer without an internet connection. Once the internet connection is re-established, the files will automatically be updated online, and my other devices will received the updated file.

Document Collaboration
As much as possible, I try to use Google Docs for new documents, and it is my “go to” tool for synchronous and asynchronous document collaboration. In my opinion, it is the best tool for document collaboration, and because it’s in the cloud I can access it at anytime and with my iPhone or iPad.

My Notes
Whether I’m taking notes from a meeting or documenting how I performed some technical task I use Evernote (I save Google Docs for more formal document creation). Evernote can be accessed via their website, or through their desktop app or app for iPhone/iPad. Like Dropbox, I can work without an internet connection (when working from the apps), and once one is established, my files will be updated.

My Calendar
I have a Google Calendar account that is synched to my iCal (you may have another favorite calendar app), and I do all updating of my calendar through iCal on my computers, iPhone/iPad. I rarely visit the Google Calendar page. Like Dropbox and Evernote, I can work locally and once an internet connection is made, the update is made to the website and all of my connected devices are update.

My Photos
I import my photos from my camera into iPhoto and then add them to Flickr. In my opinion Flickr is by far the best cloud option for photo storage. For $25/yr I can upload an UNLIMITED number my photos in their ORIGINAL SIZE and organize and share them as needed.

My Videos
Video is tricky. Because video editing is so resource intensive this is a task that I do limit to one computer, but once I have edited a video, I upload the final version to my MobileMe account and/or YouTube—both include privacy settings. The final products are important, as are the original files, so I make sure those are backed up through an external hard drive connected to my computer (I use Time Machine).

System Back-up
I use CrashPlan to backup all of my computers to the CrashPlan servers. I’m on the CrashPlan+ Family Unlimited plan ($119/yr), which means I can backup as many computers as I need to, regardless of how much data I have on each computer. I setup CrashPlan to backup all of my apps, system settings, app settings, and files not otherwise placed in the clouds. And, because Dropbox keeps a local file on your computer, I can backup my Dropbox, too. While it’s unlikely that Dropbox would lose all my files, you never know when your account might be hacked, and frankly….accidents happen.

So that’s my cloud. Your needs are likely much different than mine, but hopefully you have a few new ideas about how you might be able to work remotely, and how to work more efficiently while working remotely. If not, I hope you will consider the above mentioned cloud services as alternatives to backing up data.