Tech/Horsepower

Right before Christmas I picked up a Dell Mini9 from their outlet for no other reason that it was cute and I wanted one. 8GB SSD, 1GB ram, Bluetooth, Windows XP home. All told I paid well under $300 with a 20% off coupon, a bargain – but I had no idea what a real life bargain it would become.

I’m not only the manager of our network engineering department, I’m also an emergency responder since I’m one of two engineers. Our clients rely on me to make sure they can get the apps we develop for them, email services, and more. It’s a life of being connected 24/7, which means not only having my HTC Tilt (via ATT) which is awesome for quick fixes, but toting my laptop almost everywhere. This presents two problems:

1. Security+theft. Having my laptop near me at all times usually means leaving it in the back of my truck when I’m out, making it extremely vulnerable to theft. The alternative is toting it everywhere. Who wants to have a backpack on when you’re shopping? Walking in the park? Going to a hockey game?
2. DANGER DANGER: WIFE UNHAPPY! Either scenario can lead to an unamused spouse. The toting around in public piece is obvious. Not so obvious is dragging the bag around at holidays, when visiting multiple houses. She doesn’t exactly appreciate the constant reminder that at any moment I may have to leave festivities to look in on something. Unhappy wife? Unhappy life!

A netbook directly solves these issues at the same time. It’s relatively cheap and can contain no important data – making it disposable. If it’s stolen I’ll be upset, but I could cleanly break from it. Here are some setup tips so you can cleanly break from it too. Assuming Windows XP but much of this applies globally.

• Set your BIOS password. This is SO overlooked! Sometimes the simplest tricks are the best. Setting a BIOS password is the first line of defense.
• Don’t store credentials for your VPN, remote desktop(s), and other connections. This seems like an easy one, but it’s habit to check that “remember my user name and password” box.
• Go one step further and create completely different accounts for your netbook. In case it does disappear you can deactivate those accounts and have zero worry. Remember, if a baddie has your user name, they usually have 50% of what they need to complete a hack.
• I surf with FireFox because of the third-party support, CS Lite is great example. Using this add-on allows you to clear all cookies and session information when you exit the browser. No worries about a baddie getting into your web services.
• Use webmail.
• Online file services like box.net Dropbox Mozy or any other cloud storage will keep your files off the netbook. Changing the password here should be the first thing you have to do should it go AWOL.

How it can make you a better emergency responder. My Mini9 is small, light, and since it’s all solid state it can literally be tossed into a bag, briefcase, glove box, gym bag, whatever. I actually found it fits perfectly in the seat pocket of my Trailblazer, awesome. It’s literally a throwable computer – I do things with it I’d never think of doing with my “ruggedized” 620A.

Battery life averages over 4 hours, which means you don’t need to carry the charger everywhere.

Finally, having a tethered data phone (like my Tilt) or a wireless-wan card is the ultimate companion for your netbook. Through Bluetooth I can tether and be on the internet within seconds – nearly anywhere. No wires, no fuss. Two devices working in harmony to make my life much easier.

If your emergency responders don’t have netbooks, consider getting them. You’ll not only have happier people with new toys, they’ll be better equipped to more efficiently address issues.