Eric Mack On-Line

Whenever I travel for an extended period, I bring along an unusual array of gear that allows me to work remotely yet stay connected to my office, my associates, and clients. While perhaps exciting to me, I would not normally have blogged about this were it not for Jason's blog today by the same title. When I read Jason's post about high speed wireless internet in hotels, I was in fact on the road, wirelessly connected to my office and to a client. Kathy took a quick photo before we checked out, so that I might show you how I work on the road. I should have worn my propeller hat, for this geek post.



For the past several years, my extended mobility kit has included a SonicWall VPN Appliance, a network hub, a 2.4 GHz wireless access point/bridge, a 2-Line Multitech VOIP Gateway, and a 2-Line 900 Mhz cordless phone. This setup allows me to simultaneously replicate my e-mail, VoiceMail, and other databases from my Notes server back at the office, support clients, and video conference with my virtual assistant, Jenny.



I have seamlessly integrated all of this into my office network and PBX so that I can access my servers and receive and make calls just as if I were in the office. In fact, when clients call, they usually have no idea of whether I am in my office or in a hotel somewhere. With two lines, I can be in a call, yet my office can still ring through on the intercom to alert me to another call. With this system, I can even hold a video conference with a client, even when I am away from my office.



With the wireless, I can roam the hotel, while connected to my office.  Several years ago, before public HotSpots were available, I was able to sit in the lobby with my cordless phone and laptop wirelessly connected to my hotel room, connected back to my office through my hotel room Internet connection - how's that for mobility? Shortly, I will be able to do all of this from just my WiFi enabled laptop; for now, I'm content to carry the extra gear.

I'm glad to be back home now, and tomorrow will be a regular day in the office, but it is nice to know that I can use technology to bring my office with me whenever and wherever I need it. That's what I call eProductivity!