Last week we discussed some great virtual collaboration and communication tools, such as YouSendIt, AllPeers, LogMeIn, Skype, Thinkature, and Writeboard. Now it’s time for…
Week 5: Cleanse & Protect Tools for Virtual Assistants!
I cannot stress enough the importance of protecting your data and content. You think it will never happen to you—until it does. And in today’s technology-driven times, the likelihood of it happening to you is high. It shouldn’t be one of those things you deal with only when it happens, and it shouldn’t be something on your “C” priority list. This is necessary and vital to your business, so if you haven’t taken steps to protect yourself, then stop what you’re doing right now and do it!
Copyscape: I *know* you *know* that plagiarizing someone else’s work is just plain evil and wrong, but unfortunately it happens anyway. Some people are just lazy and don’t want to do the work themselves and would rather take credit for someone else’s hard work. I have absolutely no sympathy for the person doing the plagiarizing. I have personally been a victim of this, so if my feelings come through in my writing, it is rightfully so. Another virtual assistant copied my About page and didn’t even bother to change the wording other than her name, so essentially she copied and pasted my background, capabilities, experience, and heck, even my business model!
How did I find out? Copyscape—a free website plagiarism search tool. Make it a point to check your site periodically, because not everyone has the same morals as the rest of us.
Ccleaner: If you’re one of those people who never cleans up your computer system, then Ccleaner is for you. A free system optimization tool, it gets rid of unused files and online activities such as your temporary Internet files, history, and cookies, which allows Windows to run faster by freeing up your hard disk space. And it does it quickly and painlessly.
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Mozy: Okay, Mozy is NOT free, BUT I had to include it because there are so many business owners who simply ignore this part of their businesses and have no disaster plans in place. If you’re not performing regular backups and taking the necessary steps to protect yourself, then you are at risk of losing your files. What would you do if tomorrow your computer crashed or a fire destroyed your entire office and everything in it?
Mozy is not expensive—for less than $5 per month, you can back up an unlimited number of files and rest easier knowing that your electronic files are safe and that you can retrieve them at any time. Schedule your backups around your business hours and as often as you like.
Know of other tools to keep your computer and business protected? Feel free to leave a comment. And don’t forget to check back next week for more free tools!
