Back Up Plans!

Do you have questions about technology? Are you looking for information on hardware, software or gadgets? Have you learned about a new program that could help others? This column is where you can ask questions and share information. Thank you for all your questions, I enjoy doing the research to answer them and I am learning so much about the technology available to all of us. So keep those questions coming!

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There have been several questions and discussions on Facebook and some other forums I have been on lately talking about annual travel insurance policies for travel agents. One they were saying was only about $39 a year. Do you know anything about this or who is selling it?
—Virginia Lansdell

The one that I am hearing travel professionals talking about lately and has been written about in some of the trades is from Nationwide. Their Travel Pro Package starts at $39 per year for a policy that includes the following: trip delay coverage for unexpected additional expenses such as meals, lodging or local transportation if your trip is delayed for a covered reason; coverage for emergency medical expenses for any such expenses you have during your trip due to accidental injury or illness; emergency medical evacuation coverage for necessary evacuation due to an accidental injury or sickness during a trip; coverage for lost, stolen or damaged luggage and personal items; coverage for medical or legal referral services, passport visa information, prescription drug/eyeglass replacement services and additional services during your trip. For just $20 more you can choose to upgrade to the deluxe policy that gives you higher limits on the above coverage. For more information on these policies, visit www.travel.nationwide.com/plans.

Okay Miss Storage Queen, I have a question. My iPhone keeps telling me my phone hasn’t been backed up because my iCloud is out of space. Is there a way to manage that? What do I do?
—Barb Oliver

You know how I love the “I” devices! But I also know that first, you cannot put more storage on an iPhone, since there is no place to put in an additional SD or mini card. Second, that is one reason why the iCloud was developed — to create more space and to sync all your devices. Third, if you are out of your “free” space in iCloud, you can upgrade.

We have been using GoToMyPC for years to connect to my desktop while traveling. Are there any other programs that will allow this? Will Office 365 have this feature?
—Rhonda Shumway

GoToMyPC is an excellent program, but there are some other options as well. Built into most PCs is a program called Remote Desktop, which I have used to do the same thing for several years. Either of these is an excellent way to be able to access your desktop computer while out of the office. They both also have apps available to download to your mobile devices.

The program Office 365 will not replace that ability, but it is also a good option to look at based on what your needs are. It used to be that when I traveled I found a huge need to access my desktop computer for files, documents I needed, past emails, photos or graphics that I wanted to share, etc. Then I found out about Dropbox and would store a lot of my stuff in there for access and use the exchange server (through Office 365) to sync my email, calendar and contacts. That way I would have those on all my devices without missing anything. Then I starting finding that I didn’t need access the desktop, but kept the app for those rare times because there is no monthly fee.

Recently, I decided to try Office 365, which is an online subscription-based Microsoft Suite product. With this service, I have the newest version of all the products (such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and more) downloaded to my computer, but I have the option to download them to my mobile devices as well. So now all of my information is easily accessible wherever I am. What is really great is if I make a change to any document, my calendar or contacts or in my email, the change is made on all my devices instantly. For more information, visit www.office365.com.

If you have questions about technology, including hardware, software programs, products or services that could help you in your business, please email me at gotquestions@tasuccess.com. I will reply to and publish as many questions and answers as possible each month. If you do not wish for your questions to be published, please let me know in your email.

Please note I am in no manner offering endorsements or recommendations of any products or services herein. Information stated herein reflects a familiarity with the overall technology offerings and needs in the workplace, and may be limited in scope, relative to new offerings, or products to which the writer has no knowledge.