I do not work in the technology sector but technology is a crucial tool of my every day business. As a writer, publisher, and speaker, staying on top of technology is as important as knowing how to write. I use technology for both transportation and filing stories. Without the Internet, recent software, and a competent technology advisor at my fingertips, I would be out of company in a hurry.
On 9-11, I truly found out what a miracle technology as a matter of fact was. Until I learned that United Flight #93 crashed into a field covering of Pittsburgh, when I heard the name "Pittsburgh," I panicked and tried desperately to reach one of my dearest friends by telephone. The lines were busy, so I tried emailing her. The response was immediate and we emailed back and forth five or six times for comfort.
Until that moment, I took technology for granted. I conception of it as a vital evil - just a tool for work. At that moment of 9-11, I began to marvel at it. Sharon and I started out as pen pals nearly 30 years earlier (we were very young) thanks to a pen pal page in a now defunct hockey magazine. Who could have imagined we would relate instantaneously from 2,000 miles away, at a time when telephones, airlines, and post mail came to a halt?
Benjamin Franklin once said, "The best venture is in the tools of one's own trade."
I used to think that technology was way too complicated. I admit - I hated it. You couldn't make me own a computer or a cell phone. I prided myself on being old school. I was afraid of viruses and all the things that came with being online. Eventually, I succumbed. If I wanted to move ahead in the publishing field, I had to have a computer and recent software. I had to be online to file my stories electronically. No editor will retype hard copy material in today's market.
Instead of laying out a whole lot of cash, I decided to lease my computer system. It made good company sense at the time because I could write off my payments. I didn't go to one of those computer associates or shop online. I received personalized service. As connect referred me to a fellow who walked me straight through the process. I told him what I needed the computer to do and that I needed him to load as much memory and speed available. He found the equipment, put it together, came to my house and set it all up. It was the same with my Internet assistance provider. They even had a phone-back theory if the wait for assistance was more than 20 minutes. For me, simplicity was everything. I only wanted to turn on the computer and have it work. I didn't want to know how to program software or to be a technology geek.
Then it happened. Mr. W32 Sircam invaded my machine and shut down my programs. My anti-virus software (which I downloaded free from the Internet) had expired. I didn't walk, but ran to the store for the Norton Cd. My troubleshooter savior exorcised the demon from my computer. Since then, both he and Norton have been my best friends.
If you don't hear anyone else I've said, please hear this. Back up, back up, back up. If your data is important, back it up in more than one place - on a Cd, Usb key, email it to yourself. Put one of the backups in the protection deposit box, in the trunk of your car. This is extra guarnatee in case your company burns down, is robbed, or eaten by a virus. Add firewall protection to stop those who scan computers, hoping to start a Trojan horse and passage your files. Find an adware protector to keep adware from piling on in your theory - which ultimately slows or crawls your theory to a halt. It's like car insurance. Antiviral software, adware protection, and a firewall are guarnatee to your intellectual property. It's a cost of doing business.
There's a lot of pressure to know everything there is to know about technology when you don't as a matter of fact want to know. I've learned that it's okay I don't know everything. And that's where outsourcing comes in. When it came time for me to start a website, I developed a full and detailed company plan for what I wanted it to perform and then I found a web designer/host who spoke the same language - layman's terms, not tech talk.
So while the technological world may seem abstract and scary, like it or not, in today's business, it's imperative that we continually upgrade and heighten to stay at the same level or jump ahead of our competition.
But there is one truth you can know for sure. If I can get on the technological bandwagon, so can you.