Rosalie Mitchell and Linda Sleighter,
co-owners of their accounting firm, Yes
We Can Inc., work from home to provide tax and accounting
services to a wide range of clients: individuals' tax returns, an auto
repair shop, Internet Service Providers, a tugboat, travel agencies, and contractors
in their area and across the country. Working from
home has lots of advantages, but it became a logistical headache
when they were trying to keep their files straight--until they turned
to the My Briefcase feature in Windows 98.
"Linda lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia,"
Mitchell explains, "and I live in York County, which is
approximately 45 miles away. Before we set up My Briefcase,
Linda and I were driving to meet half way and swap disks, or having
our clients ship us disks every month, which was a huge pain as well
as being unreliable."
Keeping client files consistent from two locations quickly became a
problem, and exchanging files over e-mail proved to be impractical.
"If we send files via e-mail, we have to remember which files we've
updated. For example, if I do monthly work for a client, I use my
payroll program, my check register program, my general ledger
program, my spread sheet program, and possibly my word processing
program. That's a lot of files to keep track of--even without having
to figure out who updated what and when." This is exactly the
kind of scenario the Windows 98 My Briefcase feature was made for.
My
Briefcase: the balance sheet The Windows 98 My Briefcase feature enables you
to synchronize files that have been updated since the original
document was created using a simple floppy disk or a more elaborate
tool, like a network.
For example, say you go on a business trip or work on a file at
home. When you return to your office, you can use My Briefcase to
update your office computer's copy of that file without having to
reformat it or open up various versions of the document to get the
most current one.
It's an ideal tool for Mitchell and Sleighter. They use My Briefcase
over their company network, which they affectionately call the
Yesnet, and have hooked up some of their far-flung clients so they
can easily review their clients' monthly financial statements.
"My Briefcase works well for us," Mitchell says. "It allows Linda
and me to both have access to the current client data with the touch
of a button. For example, if Linda has a question about presentation
or how to handle a transaction, I can pull up what she's done and
discuss it with her. Both of us are looking at the same data. It's
no longer a problem to get the most current version of the data--no
matter how many people have used the file. And it sure beats
swapping disks back and forth."
You don't need a network or a home business
to take advantage of My Briefcase--it works well on floppy disks.
It's also easy to use and set
up.
Using My Briefcase: the bottom
line:
To get started using My Briefcase, add a
briefcase to the folder that contains the documents you need,
whether you're working at the office, at home, or on the road.
Here's how:
- Click the Start
button, point to
Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
- Double-click the folder in which you want
to create the New Briefcase folder.
- On the File
menu, point to New,
and then click Briefcase.
For easy, step-by-step instructions on synchronizing files by disk
or by connected computers, follow the directions in Windows 98's
Help.
To access Windows 98 Help:
- Click the Start button, then point to
Help.
- Click the Index tab, and type in
Briefcase.
- Double click the My Briefcase topic
you're looking for.
![Susan Hutton](../../../images/edtSusan.gif)
Susan Hutton transports her
briefcase in her briefcase every night. |
![Rosalie Mitchell](../../../images/edtRosalie.gif) "My Briefcase sure
beats swapping disks back and forth."
--Accountant Rosalie
Mitchell
Can't find My Briefcase?
You probably didn't add My Briefcase when you
loaded Windows 98, but you can add it now. Here's how:
- Click the Start button, point to
Settings, then click Control
Panel.
- Click Add/Remove Programs.
- Click the Windows Setup tab.
- Select Accessories, then click
Details.
- Check the My Briefcase
box, and click
OK.
- On the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog
box, click Apply.
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