I was on the phone with a client who was, I think, pleased that I had dropped my cell phone in water. Not because she is mean, but because she isn’t very tech savvy and was happy to learn that, on occasion, I mess up with my technology. That’s ok. It is pretty funny, when you think about it. Life happens. We deal.
Her first question to me, after she asked, did you really?? was how did I get everything set up on my phone? Did it take me forever?
She was absolutely shocked when I explained, no, it didn’t take me more than a few minutes to set everything up.
I explained.
The Setup Process
1. I have an Android which has an app store (so does the iPhone of course.) I just logged in to the app store online, set up my new phone as an option, and chose whatever apps I wanted to reinstall. Then the store sent the apps to my phone and installed them automatically.
2. I use Microsoft exchange (cloud based.) Everything is in the cloud, so all I needed to do was set up my account on the phone. An easy process. Then my phone simply synced all of my emails, contacts and calendar entries. The same would be the case with server based exchange.
3. I use Google for my personal email account, also cloud based. Extremely easy to set up.
4. My pictures were automatically backed up to my Google+ account. I won’t bother reinstalling them on my phone, but I didn’t lose anything.
5. I needed to put my music on my phone. I use iSyncr for the Android, which easily took care of that. It integrates iTunes with an Android phone. I could have used the cloud for my music as well, but I prefer to keep it on the phone. That way if I am on the train to Philadelphia, where there is a big blank spot on the way, or if I am on a plane, I don’t have to worry about being connected to the cell service to listen to music.
6. The rest was simply setting up the phone in terms of how I want it to look. What application goes on what page, how often I am notified when a new email arrives, sounds that play, etc. The last part actually takes the longest. I’ll probably be fiddling with the phone for a while. But then again, I never really stopped fiddling with the Evo.
Easy, and done. I had my phone set up and usable in under 20 minutes.
Backups and Cloud Matter
This is why backups and cloud based or server based systems are so important. If the information is stored elsewhere and is easily accessible and synced, when disaster strikes it really isn’t such a big deal.
Make sure you have backups and easy access to everything you need if you are clumsy like me, or even if you aren’t, remember your phone, laptop or tablet can be stolen or broken at any time. Any piece of technology can be damaged, a flood, fire, you name it.
You want to be able to get up and running as fast as possible. If everything is easily accessible you too will find that setting up a new phone or other piece of technology is no big deal; except maybe to your wallet.
Security Matters
My client, by the way, was absolutely thrilled when I explained that when I am done helping her set up her solo practice, she will have a very similar setup. She travels a lot and is concerned about having equipment stolen.
So should anything happen to my client’s technology, she only needs to call me to find out what she needs, I send her to the store with a list, and then she calls me again to be walked through the set up.
There is, of course, one last piece. Any equipment that can be encrypted is encrypted. And any movable equipment is capable of being remotely wiped. Absolutely crucial to protect client information.