Not quite there yet?  That’s OK – you’re not alone – and we’ve got you covered!

Below are some useful disaster preparedness resources including websites, an episode of our radio show, a free business continuity teleseminar,  and some recommended tools to help you weather any storm.

AUDIO (Radio Show Archive):

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail (Business Continuity in the Changing World of Work)
There are many potential obstacles that can interrupt a company’s ability to do business as usual: inclement weather, natural disasters, special events, transit strikes, and skyrocketing transportation costs just to name a few. In this episode from our radio show archive we took a look at the differences between business continuity and disaster recovery as well as some strategies and technology to help you and your organization prepare. Jason and I talk with Brian Donahoo of Citrix Online, makers of GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting, to explore how aspects of the digital lifestyle can address and overcome these obstacles. As the Zen proverb says . . . The obstacle is the path.

FREE TELESEMINAR:

Riding the Storm Out (Tips to develop a business continuity plan)
Consider this, almost 40% of small businesses that close due to a disaster event never re-open.

What would you do if the building your business is located within was damaged or destroyed in a disaster? Where would you go to continue providing your business services? Would you have the resources, databases, contact information and other necessary items to adapt to these changes?

The best time to respond to any disaster is before it happens. A well thought out business continuity or disaster recovery plan can ensure that you are prepared for any contingency. Our panel of South Florida experts discuss best practices, strategies, and tools to ensure your business can weather any storm or business interruption.

CLICK HERE for the Downloadable Audio and Handouts

WEBSITES:

Ready.gov
The website for The Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign. This site has comprehensive information about all aspects of Disaster Planning, Business Continuity, and Continuity of Operations planning. It is broken down into 3 main areas Ready America, Ready Business, and Ready Kids.

National Hurricane Survival Initiative
A coalition of a number of organizations including National Hurricane Center, National Emergency Management Association, The Salvation Army, and others. This is an exceptional site – well designed and full of resources.

Office Depot’s Disaster Preparedness Strategy
An excellent collection of articles and resources on how small business owners can prepare for unplanned interruptions. This site will get you up to speed and help prevent a crisis from becoming a full-fledged disaster.

Hurricane Preparedness
The official site of Hurricane Preparedness Week. Hosted by the NOAA and The National Weather Service.

FloridaDisaster.org
Florida Division of Emergency Management website about Business Disaster Planning. They have an online tool that walks you through creating a Business Disaster Plan in about 15 minutes.

MOBILE WORK AND VIRTUAL OFFICE SERVICES I RECOMMEND:

GoToMyPC Remote Access Service
Even if something prevents you from making it to the office, you can use your office PC just as if you were sitting in front of it. For a free trial CLICK HERE.

GoToMeeting Web Meeting and Conferencing
Web conferencing can be used for team meetings, webinars, sales demos, training, consulting, brainstorming, and much more. No worries if the office is closed due to storms or inclement weather. You and your clients and co-workers can even collaborate on documents in real time.

Skype (Audio and Video Conferencing/Screen Sharing):
One of the best tools for web-based video and audio conferencing.  Even has simple screen sharing and it’s Free!. If a disaster or storm prevents travel or anytime you work with others across distance – add this to your toolbox! To learn more about the power of skype check out my article “How to Embrace Skype to be a True-Blue Mobile Entrepreneur” over at VirtualBusinessLifestyle.com.

Regus BusinessWorld Gold Card (6 months free)
Having to evacuate, or losing access to your office or workplace are only a couple of the scenarios where a virtual office or touch down space can be an invaluable resource. Regus is the world’s largest provider of outsourced workplaces for businesses of any size.  A Regus businessworld Gold card gives you many privileges, including complimentary access any of their 1,100+ global business lounges and cafés, with complimentary internet and refreshments.
CLICK HERE to get a FREE 6 Month Regus Businessworld Gold Card

Wi-Fi Center and Hotspot Locator
If you’ve lost internet service at home or the office use our Wi-Fi center to find hotspots so you can get online from coffee shops, airports, bookstores, cafes, and other public locations. Quickly find a place to use your laptop, tablet, or mobile device and get online.

I hope this collection of disaster preparedness and business continuity resources and tips helps you develop a more flexible business approach so you can deal with whatever emergencies or business interruptions might come your way.  With some forethought and a strategy you can ensure that you are prepared.

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Disaster Preparedness and Business Continuity A few months ago Phil and I dedicated one of...
2. Free Business Continuity and Disaster Preparedness Teleseminar Well it’s July and that means hurricane season in Florida,...
3. Disaster Recovery and Hurricane Preparedness Planning – ‘Define Your Day After’ Tomorrow is the last day of Hurricane Preparedness Week 2008...

In this edition of the show we talked about things like how to build trust with clients you may never meet face to face, working in virtual teams, what effect technology has on the shift from employee to freelancer and the future of the “anywhere lifestyle” – being able to do the work where and when you want.If you already work where you want or if you’re thinking about it, be sure to watch or listen to this episode. It will be worth your while. We all shared some great resources and strategies for collaborating and staying productive.

Freelance Jam is the brand-new show for independent professionals who build the web. Episodes are recorded live every other Tuesday evening, offering viewers a chance to discuss and ask questions during the live show.

Be sure to catch future episodes of FreelanceJam. It airs every other Tuesday night and the show includes interviews with guests from across the web industry and beyond. Topics include freelance business, web design, entrepreneurship, working from home, killer apps, marketing, web trends, and even music!

It’s a laid back interactive discussion I know you’ll enjoy – and they keep introducing me to new music!

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Tips and Strategies for Working Virtually (2 Part Video Interview) I had the pleasure of being interviewed via Skype recently...
2. Are We Entering the Era of Mobile Video Chat? It’s clear that video is booming on the web.  Video...
3. It’s Strategies and Tools That Make Remote Team Collaboration Work Although many people feel remote collaboration is all about technology...

As you know I have done a series of posts (with many more to come) about my switch last year from PC to Mac.  Well recently, thanks to the amazing social media tool that is Twitter, I met Phil Simon. He is the author of several books the most recent of which is The New Small.  The book looks awesome and I just started reading it last night.  I’ll be interviewing Phil here soon and giving away a copy of the book.

After chatting Phil and I realized we had a lot more than a first name/hairline in common – we both were born in Brooklyn NY, grew up in New Jersey, went to school in Ithaca NY and have a lot of the same views about emerging technologies and how small businesses/entrepreneurs can leverage these tools to grow their businesses.  We also like the same music (especially Rush, Pink Floyd and the Police) and have a very similar sense of humor (I think that is a NY/Jersey thing).

We also both recently switched from using PCs to Macs and are both now happily plugging away on our MacBook Pros. He also wrote  a series of posts detailing his transition to the Mac. I was sharing some of the great apps I discovered with him and told him about eCamm Call Recorder which makes it super easy to record Skype video and audio chats. He was excited by this and asked if we could do a video interview me about my switch to the Mac so I could share some tips.  Of course I said YES – so visit his blog and check out the interview.

I’ll be returning the favor and interview Phil in the coming weeks once I finish reading The New Small and giving away a copy to a lucky reader so be sure to check back!

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Switching From Windows to Mac – Part 2 This is the second of my 2-part video series on...
2. Switching From Windows to Mac – Part 1 Well it’s official – a few weeks ago I finally...
3. Switching From Windows to Mac – Cut the Learning Curve This video is the basically part 3 of my series...

I’ve seen significant growth in the desktop video conferencing space with services like Skype, Tokbox, and ooVoo being used for everything from virtual meetings and remote collaboration to friends and family keeping in touch.   Thanks to the increase in broadband and wi-fi people can meet face-to-face virtually from almost anywhere.

Well now it looks like video chat/conferencing is about to get even more mobile.   Last week Apple released the iPhone 4 which includes a forward facing camera and a built in program called FaceTime that allows video chatting from iPhone to iPhone.  Also Sprint released the EVO 4G which also includes a front-facing camera and the QIK video chat software. It seems like the natural next step . . .

There is no mistaking that the time is ripe to get into the mobile video chatting game. It is already big enough with tools from Skype, Google (Talk) and others, and it’s only going to get bigger. There are already millions of notebook owners in the mix, and when you add what is likely going to be millions of smartphone and tablet owners, the potential market for video chat offerings is going to be huge.

via Is a Mobile Video Chat Revolution Imminent?.

I’m sure these two phones are only the start of this trend.  In fact you can be sure that once Apple starts to push this envelope others will be soon to follow – much the way that the iPhone invigorated the smartphone market and the iPad has woken up the sleeping tablet market.  I’m still shocked that the iPad didn’t include a camera on it for video chats – but I’m almost certain the next generation will include that feature.  In fact it’s one of the main reasons I didn’t run out and buy one – I’ll wait for the second generation so I can tap into the video.

The stats seems to back up this prediction in a recent report, entitled “Can You See Me Now?: The New World of Consumer Visual Communications,”  by GigaOM Pro. (subscription required):

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Catch my video chat with Dave and Brian on Freelance Jam A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of joining...
2. Video Conferencing Breaks Out of the Boardroom – Watch it On-Demand Video conferencing has changed.  What was once a very costly...
3. Join me Thursday – Bloomberg BusinessWeek Free Live Webcast on Video Conferencing I’ve been invited by Bloomberg BusinessWeek to be a panelist...

This was the topic of discussion a few weeks ago when I joined Bloomberg Businessweek in their New York Studios for a live Video Webcast called “Video Breaks Out of the Boardroom”.  The show was hosted by Jim Ellis, Assistant Managing Editor of Bloomberg Businessweek, and I was delighted that they invited me to join Marc  Beattie from Wainhouse Research to be part of this episode.  Here is a photo from our broadcast:

The Bloomberg building was amazing and everyone I met there was extremely friendly and helpful.  We had a wonderful discussion and looked at what’s involved with implementing video conferencing including how much technical know-how it takes, how and why companies using it, what it costs, and what are some of the stumbling blocks. We also took some great questions from those that were viewing the live broadcast.

In case you missed it you can now view the entire Video Webcast live.  Just register here and you can watch the whole show.  We discussed the topic for about 20 minutes and then had about 10 minutes of Q&A.  If you’re currently using video conferencing, or thinking about it, you definitely want to catch this.

A big thanks to everyone at Bloomberg Businessweek for having me be a part of this event. I hope to join them again for future shows!

Please post a comment below and let me know what you thought of the webcast and feel free to ask me any questions you might have about using video to connect with your virtual teams and remote workers.

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Join me Thursday – Bloomberg BusinessWeek Free Live Webcast on Video Conferencing I’ve been invited by Bloomberg BusinessWeek to be a panelist...
2. Tokbox – A great free tool for video conferencing and video email Whether you are collaborating with team members across distance or...
3. Choosing the Right Technology for Your Virtual Team or Virtual Office [VIDEO] A question I’m asked by many entrepreneurs, small business owners,...

It was a great opportunity that I didn’t want to miss – so despite the fact that it meant flying out of town on my birthday – I went to the West Palm Beach Airport here in sunny Florida and flew to New York City.

The webcast was lots of fun and I got to spend some time with my good friend Marc and visit with his family as well – a splendid time was had by all!  I got to the airport very early because I hitched a ride in with my wife (who works close to the airport) and it got me thinking about being productive in an airport and why I love flying out of PBI.  Here is a short video I shot talking about working from an airport with The Anywhere Office:

To get updated on all our latest videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Tips and Strategies for Working Virtually (2 Part Video Interview) I had the pleasure of being interviewed via Skype recently...
2. Choosing the Right Technology for Your Virtual Team or Virtual Office [VIDEO] A question I’m asked by many entrepreneurs, small business owners,...
3. For Sun Microsystems, Open Work is Working I came across this video the other day while I...

Video Breaks Out of the Boardroom
Thursday, June 10 at
10am PT | 1pm ET | 6pm GMT

Video is changing how companies interact with employees, suppliers, partners and customers. It’s an important area for growth and an essential tool for global businesses.

Join us as we speak to executives and thought leaders in the video collaboration space about emerging technologies and how these tools offer so much promise for business.

• Build & sustain business relationships
• Broaden the scope of your markets
• Strengthen customer relations and loyalty

Our expert panel, moderated by Jim Ellis of Bloomberg Businessweek, includes Marc Beattie, co-founder, Managing Partner, and Co-Manager ofUnified Collaboration Practice at Wainhouse Research and a recognized expert on the collaboration services market and Phil Montero, CEO of Montero Consulting, Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com, and the spearhead of the remote work movement for more than a decade.

You will be able to participate in this live discussion through interactive questions and answers with our industry experts – all from the comfort of your desktop.

Click here to register today!

I’m looking forward to a great discussion. I’m also excited to see what the Bloomberg news studio looks like – it should be lots of fun! I hope you’ll join us and be sure to submit some questions.

If you can’t catch it live I will be posting the video here at The Anywhere Office after the event.

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Video Conferencing Breaks Out of the Boardroom – Watch it On-Demand Video conferencing has changed.  What was once a very costly...
2. Tokbox – A great free tool for video conferencing and video email Whether you are collaborating with team members across distance or...
3. Choosing the Right Technology for Your Virtual Team or Virtual Office [VIDEO] A question I’m asked by many entrepreneurs, small business owners,...

Whether you are a large corporation, small business, or solo professional there is a lot you can do to lighten your ecological footprint. When you reduce the need to travel and take advantage of technology to collaborate from anywhere you keep tons of carbon emissions from polluting the world.  A shift to printing less and using more digital documents saves untold numbers of trees.

By taking The Anywhere Office® approach you’ll save money, be more productive, and be more green. So this Earth Day make a commitment to make even a small adjustment to the way you work to do your part.

You can start by downloading The Anywhere Office Toolbox – our free eBook contains information and links to technology, services, and other resources we find of benefit to mobile workers, virtual teams and supporting virtual offices and distributed work.

You’ll find tools for gaining remote access to your documents or computer, holding web meetings and conferences, sending and receiving digital faxes, sending video email and holding video conferences, dealing with time-zones, and marketing your business online.

These are all free or affordable solutions with free trials – so there is no excuse!  Incorporate some of these tools today and make your business more green.

Unchain yourself from the office; work where and when you want.

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Choosing the Right Technology for Your Virtual Team or Virtual Office [VIDEO] A question I’m asked by many entrepreneurs, small business owners,...
2. It’s Strategies and Tools That Make Remote Team Collaboration Work Although many people feel remote collaboration is all about technology...
3. Tips and Strategies for Working Virtually (2 Part Video Interview) I had the pleasure of being interviewed via Skype recently...

But how do you choose? I have devised a workflow analysis we call the ICC Approach as it looks at your needs in 3 key areas – Information, Communication, and Collaboration.  In this short video I walk you through this analysis and help provide questions to guide your thinking when evaluating mobile work technology.

Give it a view and share your comments below to let me know your thoughts and experiences!

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Using Technology for a Lean, Green, Virtual Team It’s no surprise that telecommuting, workshifting, or virtual work -...
2. Video Conferencing Breaks Out of the Boardroom – Watch it On-Demand Video conferencing has changed.  What was once a very costly...
3. Tips and Strategies for Working Virtually (2 Part Video Interview) I had the pleasure of being interviewed via Skype recently...

Recently I was traveling to Boston for a week to meet with some clients.  The hardest part of the trip was being away from my wife and 2 year old son Spencer.  We decided to make things more bearable we would have a video chat at least once a day using Skype. I also decided to send them frequent video emails using a great service called Tokbox.

Tokbox is a free service that allows you to send up to 10 minute video emails and have video conferencing with up to 20 people.  Both of these are very impressive as most other video email programs allow for only a minute or two and most video chat programs only support one-to-one conversations.

To see a sample of Tokbox in action view this short video I recorded using their service:

TokBox – Free Video Chat and Video Messaging

I haven’t tried their video conferencing services much as I currently use Skype for real time video chats but I will be testing it further in the coming weeks -  especially the multi-person video conferencing. I’ll follow up with another blog post to let you know my thoughts and share some of the other video conferencing services I have found.

I used to use Eyejot for video email and while I found the service to be good – it limits you to a recording of only 60 seconds unless you upgrade to one of their paid options.  Tokbox on the other hand blows that away with their 10 minute limit. This past week Spencer and I have been sending lots of video emails to family and friends that haven’t seen him in a while (he has even been strumming on my ukulele and singing some songs – needless to say everyone is amazed!)

Sending video email to family and friends is fun and a great way to keep in touch but video email can always be used as a serious business tool.  Video email among virtual team members is a great way to improve informal communication, boost team cohesiveness, and add a greater level of presence to conversations.  As a manager of a virtual team you could send out a video email to email to everyone on your team once a week letting them know about upcoming project deadlines or celebrating milestones reached.  Imagine how much more powerful a virtual pat on the back to a team member would be if you did it via video email and shared it with the whole team? The possiblities are endless and limited only by your creativity.

Want to know more about the service?  Read 10 Reasons to use Tokbox for Video Mail from their own blog.

Another great feature of Toxbox is they allow you to create a video recorder box to include on your website.  This allows people leave you a video message without having to have a Tokbox account.  We decided to give this a try so we are including a Video Recorder box below – if you have a webcam and a mic leave us a message using the box below and let us know what you think of the blog and if there is anything you’d like to see us cover here on The Anywhere Office.

UPDATE (12/3/10): Unfortunately since writing this post Tokbox has done away with the video email feature.  You can now only use this to leave a video message for another Tokbox user that isn’t available when you try to call them.  I was pretty bummed about this as I thought this was a great feature – but they are focusing more on live video conferencing now. I am exploring other services to use for video email and will write another post reviewing them soon.

No video camera? Leave us a comment below and let us know if you’ve used video email and how you think it can improve your virtual teams.

Like this Post? Check Out These...

1. Join me Thursday – Bloomberg BusinessWeek Free Live Webcast on Video Conferencing I’ve been invited by Bloomberg BusinessWeek to be a panelist...
2. Video Conferencing Breaks Out of the Boardroom – Watch it On-Demand Video conferencing has changed.  What was once a very costly...
3. Video Review of the Case-mate Pop Case for Verizon iPhone 4 (great case) I recently updated from my iPod Touch to the new...