Resolve to Shape Up Insurance, Equipment
January is the month many people start diets and resolve to get their lives in shape. With the start of a new millennium, it’s an especially good time to get your small-business technology tools off to a good start too.
If you hadn’t already done so to prepare for Y2K, take an inventory of all your hardware and software. Make sure you know the serial numbers of your equipment (don’t forget printers, modems, fax machines and other peripherals). And make sure you know what you paid for them and where the receipts are. Hopefully nothing will get stolen this year, but if it does, you’ll have the evidence you’ll need to make a claim.
Speaking of claims, check your insurance policy to make sure it covers all of your equipment. If you operate an office at home, there is a chance that your homeowners or renters insurance won’t cover business equipment. Review your policy and, if there is a need for additional coverage, ask your agent what it will cost to add a rider for business equipment. Be sure to ask about any portable equipment.
If your insurance company doesn’t offer computer insurance, you can buy a special policy from SafeWare (https://www.safeware.com) and other companies that specialize in computer insurance. SafeWare charges $200 a year to cover up to $10,000 worth of equipment. You can buy up to $1,950 worth of desktop PC insurance for $49 and insure a $2,000 notebook PC for $120.
When it comes to software, first make sure that you have CD-ROMs for all of your programs in case you need to reinstall them. It’s possible for a file associated with a program to be deleted or corrupted, and the easiest way to solve the problem is usually to reinstall the program. Also, make sure you have all the serial numbers for the software. If you have to reinstall a program or need technical support, you may be out of luck if you don’t have the serial number or, as Microsoft calls it, the “CD-Key.”
This is also a good time to think about whether the software you use is legally licensed. I’m not going to preach about the evils of bootleg software, but if any of your computers have programs that are not legally yours, you might want to think about what you should do about it.
The Software Information Industry Assn. (https://www.siia.net/) has an anti-piracy Web page that provides information on piracy. The site offers a free software program, KeyAudit, that you can download to help determine what programs are on all computers on your network. Even if you don’t use it for anti-piracy purposes, it’s worth downloading it because it helps you inventory the programs you have.
While you’re writing down serial numbers, also make a note of the technical support phone number and Web site addresses for all of your hardware and software vendors. You never know when you’ll need this information and it’s nice to have it handy.
This is also a good time to review or establish your company’s “acceptable use policy” that spells out what employees can and cannot do with company equipment. Such policies usually cover such matters as accessing sexually explicit Web sites on company equipment, use of pirate or unapproved software and issues pertaining to employee privacy when using company-owned e-mail systems, telephones and other equipment.
You might also want to make sure that your electrical system is up to snuff. If you’re working at home or in an older building, you may have improperly grounded outlets or you may be overloading your circuits. You can buy an inexpensive tester at some hardware and electronic stores that will test to see if your outlets are properly wired and grounded. If you are in doubt about your circuits, you might need to consult an electrician.
Although damage to equipment by electrical surges is relatively unlikely, it’s still a good idea to make sure that all your equipment is plugged into surge protectors.
Y2K bug or no Y2K bug, there is also the risk of a power failure. If the power goes down while you’re working on a document, everything will be lost since the last time you saved it to disk. One solution is to get an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
UPS systems are designed to let you keep working just long enough to save your work and turn off your machines. CyberPower (https://www.cyberpowersystems.com), Belkin (https://www.belkin.com), Tripp Lite (https://www.tripplite.com) and American Power Conversion Corp. (https://www.apcc.com) each make a variety of devices that can keep your computer running for several minutes after a power failure. These systems, which typically start at about $100, will also protect you from a power surge.
Finally, take a look at your business’ security procedure. Make sure you have adequate locks on your doors and windows, consider whether you need to purchase or upgrade your alarm system and make sure that everyone in the company is being vigilant about locking the doors and setting alarms if they’re the last to leave.
By approaching the tasks systematically, it should be relatively easy to get your office systems organized. If only I could say the same about shedding those unwanted pounds.
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Technology reports by Lawrence J. Magid can be heard at 1:48 p.m. weekdays on KNX (1070). He can be reached at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web site is at https://www.larrysworld.com.
