Beyond The Yellow Bubble

 Yesterday I bounced out of bed for what was going to be a long, but exciting day.  It was to start with a 5am conference call with IBM and five other members of the Notes community to preview part of the Lotusphere OGS and end around 10pm when I had completed the deployment of my first major XPage application.  In between I was also conducting a two hour XPage training class.  Because I had so much to get done I had arranged to do all my work from home.  I turned on my computer around 4:30AM only to find I had no Internet connectivity.  I hastily tried to fix the problem or devise an alternative solution.  All to no avail.  I ended up having to sit through a one hour Webinar in which I was interacting with senior IBM executives for the very first time with egg all over my face because I was the only person unable to particpate on-line.  It was lucky that enough information was shared on the conference call for me to get a reasonable idea about what was happening.  The XPage training ended up being cancelled, and I had to make the long commute to do the XPage application deployment on-site.   I survived the day but this was not an experience I want to live through again.  It made me realize just how important a home computer network is becoming in my life.  I am sure it is the same for many of you.  So the question I think we should all be asking (if we have not done so already) is ... "what is my DR plan for when one or more components of my home network fail?"  Many large companies have implemented and tested DR plans for their data centers.  I doubt many of us need a backup house just in case our own home burns to the ground but we should all perhaps invest a little time now thinking about how we could survive the loss of a disk, a monitor, a computer, or an Internet connection. 
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I was able to get my faulty cable modem replaced but what if nearby construction work had severed my cable link and my connection was out for a week or more what would I have done?  Some ideas to consider:-

1. If you own a smartphone such as a Blackberry, iPhone, Android etc.  Have you exploited all of its capabilities to fill in when your main facilities are not available.  e.g. I already had diverted much of my Internet mail to my blackberry so I was still able to monitor and respond to most of my e-mail.
2. Most people have at least one desktop computer and one laptop.  Does the laptop have all the key software on it that you use?  Does it have the same version of Notes that you develop with on your main computer?  Is Skype installed there too?
3. What options exist for storing data on devices that can be quickly unplugged from one computer and connected to another.  External hard disks with USB connectors are ideal.
4. If I make use of multiple monitors, does my laptop have the ability to connect these monitors quickly and easily.
5. If my main Internet connection fails do I have a backup.  Can I tether my phone to either my computer or laptop.  Do I have an account that allows me to connect any of my computers to a public wireless network at a moment's notice.
6. And finally....  Have I tested all the above out to make sure they work or do I plan to wait for a disaster to find out if my DR options work as I hope?