Whether you’re traveling for work, meeting up with a client or you’re just always on the go. You’ll more than likely find yourself in a situation where you need to work but you don’t have the resources that you need while you’re out of the office. With the introduction of hybrid tablets and smaller devices with a lot of power, it’s easier than ever to take the office with you.
Tablet Computing
Tablets are becoming more and more adaptable and have the ability to do the same tasks as everyday office computers and laptops can. With Microsoft creating a hybrid known as the Surface Pro being introduced in 2013 and it currently being on its 5th generation, as well as HP’s Spectre x360 offering 4K resolution and high specs to run all your programs from word processing to high quality video production, these devices both run on the Windows 10 client allowing versatility and offer the power of a computer into the size of a tablet.
If Windows is not your preferred choice of operating system, the iPad Pro has enough to keep your portable office optimised, if you use any kind of Apple device other than an iPad then you can sync all your details and documents with its in-built system. Even Android devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab or Asus Zen Pad offer multitasking, high performance and long battery life and support of Google systems.
Printer
When you need to print off legal documents, invoices, designs or any other written work for a client on the go, you can be prepared with a small and mighty printer in your bag. The Epson Workforce WF-100W and HP Officejet 200 can offer A4 printing on a small device with great battery life and quick printing performance. With these printers offering wireless support you have the ability to not only print from a tablet, laptop or PC, you can even print documents from your mobile phone, allowing you to keep up the pace while keeping down the amount you’re traveling with.
Hotspot
If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi for your work, the ability to create a Wi-Fi hotspot can be a life saver. It can keep you connected while on a coach or train, staying in a hotel without Wi-Fi, or even as an emergency back-up.
If you already have a smartphone, it’s more than likely you won’t have to purchase another device, if you look into your smartphones wireless settings, you can set up a hotspot for yourself or a client to connect to.
If you would like to save battery on your phone, you can always purchase a hub instead. Multiple network providers can offer these with a contract, but you can always purchase the device and SIM card separately, you can obtain devices such as the TP-Link M7350 or the Huawei E5577C.
Cloud Storage
With Google Drive and Dropbox offering their services on multiple devices, you have the ability to access important files wherever you are and the ability to share them with a click of a button. Each service providing a free option, you can pay for a larger storage size, allowing you to keep all your files on the cloud.
Portable Flash/Hard Drives
Though Cloud Storage is useful, it’s reliant on an internet connection. If you need to take documents with you that you don’t want to put onto the cloud or they’re too large, then a portable flash or hard drive can work miracles. From SanDisk offering its Ultra Flair and Kingston with their DataTraveler series both boasting 32GB’s on a device that can be attached to your keys, you can take it with you without it being a burden.
If you work with larger files (such as video) and need more than 32GBs, you can always purchase a Hard Drive like the WD My PassPort or the Seagate Expansion offering 1TB of data for roughly £50 at the time of writing. These hard drives are roughly the size of a wallet and don’t need to be plugged into an outlet.
With all these options available to you, there’s no need to break a sweat when it comes to your work flow with everything at your fingertips, and that’s how you create a portable office.
