I recently had an accident with one of my business tech tools. I was working away on my MacBook when I accidentally spilled a glass of water on it. Needless to say, it’s fried.
Because I didn’t have Apple Care (I never use it), there was nothing that could be done. Heck, even with Apple Care, by the time I would have gotten my Macbook to the store it probably would have been too late for the battery and hard drive.
Bottom line is I had to buy a whole new MacBook. Fortunately, I have the savings for such a blow. However, this has gotten me thinking about the ways we can better protect our business tech tools.
Pay with credit card.
I know there are a lot of people out there who are anti credit card for various reasons. I’m not one of them.
One of the reasons why I love credit cards is because you can use them to protect your business and financial tech tools. More specifically, if you pay for your business tech tools with your credit card, some cards automatically give you an extended warranty on your purchase.
Sign up for stuff like Apple Care (if you really feel like you need it).
So here’s the thing. I don’t usually spring for stuff like Apple Care. In the six and a half years I’ve had Apple products, there’s only one time I would have had to use them. During that one time, I was pretty much self-insured with enough cash in the bank to replace my computer.
That being said, I know not everyone is willing to take that kind of risk. So, if you know you tend to get into trouble with your business tech tools, then do sign up for something like Apple Care.
Know where to go to get your stuff fixed.
While you may think you need to go to a specific place to get your business tech tools fixed, there are more cost-effective options out there.
When I broke the screen to my iPhone, I went to a local shop that fixes phones. My phone was as good as new in an hour and I didn’t have to spend a lot of money on insurance or getting a replacement. In fact, that insurance would have cost more than just getting it fixed.
Periodically change your passwords.
Your business tech tools should always be password protected. Additionally, you should be changing that password every few months to ensure no one catches on as to what it is.
After all, protecting your tech tools isn’t just about making sure they don’t break. Protection also looks like making sure they don’t get hacked.
Invest in preventative protection.
In addition to investing in things that will help fix your business tech, you should also invest in things that keep them from breaking in the first place. This includes protective screens, cases and keyboard covers.
Final Thoughts
Business tech tools are not cheap, therefore we should find ways to protect them. After all, we need these things in order to keep working and make money.
