In our recent survey, we asked if you would like to see articles that were relevant to you as a video related business, or thinking about going into business. The answer was a resounding yes, so this is a contribution to a series of stories on that very premise.

Has this ever happened to you in your business (or something like it)? First some background.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, last week I was on a mini-launch by a vendor of some cameras and camcorders in Northern NSW (Byron Bay to be specific).  When I travel, instead of taking my full size Acer Ferrari 5000 laptop with me, I use an HP MiniNote with a Telstra USB WiFi stick. Only one reason for that; I can open the lid fully on a Qantas tray table with the HP and I cannot with the Acer!

To keep things synchronized, I use a program called SyncPST which keeps the Outlook datafiles on both in synch and DropBox is a net ‘cloud’ app for sharing files that I expect to need to have access to while away. In simple terms, you save a file to a DropBox directory on your PC (or Mac), this will send a copy for storage in the ‘cloud’ and update any other computers sharing the same DropBox login – in this case my HP – all automatically. Usually.

DropBox is brilliant (and free for most users) but it does require a certain amount of discipline. Many people simply save their files to a ‘My Documents’ folder and be done with it. Under this circumstance, DropBox is no good (I save everything to folders in DropBox as folders are also synchronised. But I too also forget sometimes).

In this case, I had prepared a large proposal for a potential advertiser and emailed that to them just before I left. When I arrived in NSW, there was a message on my phone that they needed a further breakdown on some figures (that were in an Excel spreadsheet), a revised schedule (in a Word document) and some other data contained in various other datafiles from other applications.

Now these were NOT on the MiniNote or in DropBox but safely on an external hard disk to the Ferrari. The vendor needed the figures to make a decision by the weekend (this was Wednesday) and I wasn’t back home until Saturday afternoon. A large advertising commitment to a publication such as Auscam is always welcome, so I needed to get these files, make the requested changes and send them off.

What were the options?

1.      Get someone to go to my place in Bridgetown, find the files on an unfamiliar computer and email them to me. Possible but impractical and fraught with frustration for both parties – the finder and the findee!

2.      Cancel my NSW trip, head back end get it sorted the next day. Possible, but insulting one vendor for the sake of another is a dodgy plan at best.

3.      Ask the vendor to PLEASE hold off until the following Monday. Unprofessional to say the least and exposing a lack of resources and planning on my part.

None of these was a viable option. What WAS is an application I have used many times for exactly this circumstance called LogMeIn.

This may sound complicated, but it isn’t. Trust me.

LogMeIn consists of keeping the Acer Ferrari running at all times, connected to the ‘net and the LogMeIn client running. On the HP, I connect to a secure login on the LogMeIn website (that I had previously created when installing the system) and this lets me connect remotely to my Acer Ferrari. I can then use the HP as a remote control to the Ferrari, and pretty much do anything on it that I could do just as if I was sitting at it!

The subscription version allows even more facilities, but my needs at this time simply involved finding the files and emailing them to myself, collecting them on the HP in Outlook, modifying them as required and then sending them to the vendor. Many more things can be done such as dragging files from one system to another, remote printing and faxing and much more.

Some may suggest using Google Docs to keep access to all documents ‘in the cloud’, as well as email with GMAIL. As useful as these apps can be, I still prefer using what I have become used to over many years. And while not a paranoid net user as some are re: security, I am nonetheless not sure why I would place sensitive data willingly where it can be potentially seen by others (ie Google) if they so wish.

And I am sure attempts at hacking Google are far more prevalent than attempts at my external USB drives! In short, it’s my choice.

See www.logmein.com for more details. As I say, the base system is free and you may just never know when you may need it. The paid subscription version is far more comprehensive, but there might be some facilities there you have been looking for! Either way, LogMeIn can be a real lifesaver.

By David Hague

David is the owner and publisher of AusCam Online. He has a background in media dating back to 1979 when he first got involved with photojournalism in motorsport, and went from there into technology via a 5 year stint with Tandy Computers. Following that, he ran a software distribution company on the Gold Coast and was one of the first to recognise the potential of Microsoft Windows.

Moving back to WA, David wrote scripts for Computer Television for video training for the just released Windows and Office 95 among others, and was then lured to Sydney to create web sites for the newly commercial Internet in 1995, building hundreds of sites under contract to OzEmail including Coates Hire, Hertz Queensland, John Williamson, the NSW Board of Studies and many, many more.

He went back into full time journalism as the Managing Editor for Channel 7's 'Gadget Guy', Peter Blasina's publications VideoCamera and Pixelmag, before starting Australasian Camcorder magazine when these publications were shelved. He lives at Sydney's Avalon Beaches nearly on the ocean front with dog Budweiser and in his spare time is a nut for motor sport, road safety, fishing, science fiction - especially Dr Who - and technology.

David can be contacted via david@auscamonline.com