automaticable

As every power-user does, I enjoy working on my own computer because everything is tweaked and customized just how I like it. I use the programs and preferences that work best for me. I organize my data in a way that fits my lifestyle. Everything is perfect for me on my personal computer. But, there is always a question of how to access your setup when on the road and away from home. I’ll describe a few different syncing techniques below. Each has it’s own advantages and disadvantages, and finding the right one depends on what’s important to you.

1. Use a Laptop
Of course, probably the simplest solution is to use a laptop as your primary workspace. Then, whenever you’re on the go, you can simply bring it with you. No setup, no hassle– everything is there for you when you need it.

2. Sync with an external device
Similarly, you can take what’s important with you on a separate piece of hardware. This could range from syncing your email and music on a smartphone or iPod, to carrying important data and programs on an external hard drive or flash drive. If you go the USB drive route, you might consider PortableApps Suite– a system for loading many common programs from a flash drive, as well as organizing your documents.

3. Use online syncing services
Another approach is to upload your data to web services, so you have everything you need as long as there’s an internet connection. This could mean sticking to using purely webapps, such as Google Documents, and storing your documents there. Or, you could simply backup your documents on one of the many online backup services. There is a useful post here detailing the best online backup solutions.

4. Remote Access to files
The solution I prefer is to setup remote access to your computer. Then there is no need to sync documents or upload them online– you’ll have access to everything you had on your main computer. It’s probably also the most complicated, as you’ll need to open some ports on your router as part of the setup. I won’t go into the specifics, but there are many different options for remote access. For Windows, Remote Desktop is probably the easiest, and will give you access to your entire desktop. For any platform, VNC accomplishes the same thing, and supports multiple connections to the same desktop. Also, particularly useful in Linux, you can setup an SSH server. This gives you access to your computer through a terminal, but is very fast for small tasks, and you can even run programs from your home computer remotely.

So, as you can see, there are a variety of options, and perhaps even a combination of a few is the best choice. Each has its own setup requirements, so plan on spending some time getting things running. But once you do, it becomes a great resource next time you need to remember a phone number in an email, or find a webpage you bookmarked but can’t remember.