Laptop Backup: Backups On a Business Trip

If you have a cellphone and laptop, it is possible to work almost anywhere. You can get a lot of work done in airports and hotels during the course of a business trip. Often you need to revise agreements, proposals and presentations while on the road or during a client meeting.

However, the risk of theft or damage to your laptop is much higher on a business trip than during the normal office routine. If you are only away for a day or two, this is not a problem. When your trip extends to a week or more, however, it pays to be prepared. Since the changes made on business trips are often critical, it makes sense to have a backup in case something goes wrong. Here are some ideas to protect your data on a trip:

If you have internet access during the trip, a good idea is to email changed files to an online email account, with a note to explain the changes. This is excellent for 3 reasons:

1. The files are kept safely out of harm's way while you are on the trip;

2. You can retrieve them anyplace you can get online.

3. You have a trail of the changes that were made. This could come in handy when trying to compare slight changes in wording in a 50-page contract.

If you do not have Internet access, or the files are too big to send, you can use a USB thumb drive or a CD/DVD writer. If you do have a built-in CD or DVD writer, taking along some blank CDs or DVDs is a better choice than the thumb drive:

1. A thumb drive is more likely to be stolen. With a CD or DVD you can keep one copy in your hotel room and take one with you.

2. Storage space for multiple versions: You can keep filling up a CD or DVD with multiple versions of files. If you fill up a disk, just use the next one.

3. Having extra blank CDs or DVDs can be useful for copying presentation materials, presentations and proposals onto to give to the client at the end of a meeting.

Business travel is stressful enough without having to worry about losing your work. Whichever of these methods you use, following these suggestions can give you peace of mind, knowing that your data is safe even while you are on the road.