how best to use Outlook between desktop & laptop systems

[Adam Smith]

We use desktops in the office and laptops travelling or in field offices.

All our systems are Dell with Vista Basic and Outlook 2007.
What do you suggest how best to use Outlook between desktop & laptop
systems?

At this time, we ask our people to use desktop systems in their offices.
Before they travel or go to field offices, they should export their Outlook
"personal folder" to a backup.pst file. Copy this backup.pst file to a flash
stick, and import this backup.pst file into their laptop Outlook. After they
return from field, they should reverse the process from laptop to desktop.

They should never use their laptop Outlook while in their office.
They should never use their desktop Outlook while in the field.

Do you think this is good standard office practice? Any suggestions?

 

[Karl Timmermans]

There are a number of various "syncing" solutions out there which others may
be able to tell you more about.

The purpose of this response is to simply comment on your existing procedure
and that comment is--

There is absolutely no need to "export" the personal folder and would
strongly recommend against it for a myriad of reasons that can potentially
cause no end of aggravation in any number of strange behaviours. All that
your users would need to do in this scenario is:
a) locate their active PST file
b) close Outlook
c) copy that PST file to/from the flash drive from/to source/target
systems in locations identified in "a)"
in all cases Outlook should not running
d) remove read only flag (if required) after copying PST file from
flash drive
e) just start Outlook (see point #2 below)

#1) The above of course assumes that the users adhere to the "use one
system" only rule and no one else inadvertently opens their Outlook session
while away
#2) Am also assuming that everyone is using the default Outlook file name
automatically created when Outlook is first started (i.e. Outlook.pst) which
is why there is no separate step to "open" the PST file after copying it
from the flash drive.
#3) always good practice to have a copy of the PST file on the target system
<before> it gets replaced

Bottom-line - stay far away from "exporting/importing" for the scenario
described.

Aside from that, providing each user with a nice large flatscreen monitor
and good external keyboard while in the office may negate the need for two
computers and doing any of the above all together. They would just need to
plug/unplug the net/video/keyboard cables and keep on working (again only
viable if the laptop is sufficiently endowed for all that's required). In a
former corporate life, I found using a single computer (with external
monitor and keyboard for on-going daily use) far easier and much more
convenient all around - not to mention being able to get out of the office
on a moments notice with all current data at hand at all times.

Karl
___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[John Fullbright]

PST files have no place in a business environment for oh so many reasons.
You've managed to stumble across one.

PST files are generally unmanaged storage on user clients. You'd be far
better off keeping the mail on your exchange server, where it is managed;
you have some assurance that the data has been backud up and can be
recovered. Use Outlook clients in cached mode. A synchronized copy will be
kept in the OST file on each client. If you kept the mail on exchange and
used cached Outlook clients the problem you are now trying to solve would
not exist.

 

[Adam Smith]

PST files have no place in a business environment for oh so many reasons.
You've managed to stumble across one.

PST files are generally unmanaged storage on user clients. You'd be far
better off keeping the mail on your exchange server, where it is managed;
you have some assurance that the data has been backud up and can be
recovered. Use Outlook clients in cached mode. A synchronized copy will
be kept in the OST file on each client. If you kept the mail on exchange
and used cached Outlook clients the problem you are now trying to solve
would not exist.

Thank you John. Where can we learn more about exchange server?

 

[Adam Smith]

There are a number of various "syncing" solutions out there which others
may be able to tell you more about.

The purpose of this response is to simply comment on your existing
procedure and that comment is--

There is absolutely no need to "export" the personal folder and would
strongly recommend against it for a myriad of reasons that can potentially
cause no end of aggravation in any number of strange behaviours. All that
your users would need to do in this scenario is:
a) locate their active PST file
b) close Outlook
c) copy that PST file to/from the flash drive from/to source/target
systems in locations identified in "a)"
in all cases Outlook should not running
d) remove read only flag (if required) after copying PST file from
flash drive
e) just start Outlook (see point #2 below)

#1) The above of course assumes that the users adhere to the "use one
system" only rule and no one else inadvertently opens their Outlook
session while away
#2) Am also assuming that everyone is using the default Outlook file name
automatically created when Outlook is first started (i.e. Outlook.pst)
which is why there is no separate step to "open" the PST file after
copying it from the flash drive.
#3) always good practice to have a copy of the PST file on the target
system <before> it gets replaced

Bottom-line - stay far away from "exporting/importing" for the scenario
described.

Aside from that, providing each user with a nice large flatscreen monitor
and good external keyboard while in the office may negate the need for two
computers and doing any of the above all together. They would just need to
plug/unplug the net/video/keyboard cables and keep on working (again only
viable if the laptop is sufficiently endowed for all that's required). In
a former corporate life, I found using a single computer (with external
monitor and keyboard for on-going daily use) far easier and much more
convenient all around - not to mention being able to get out of the office
on a moments notice with all current data at hand at all times.

Karl
___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

Thank you Karl.
Most of us have the smallest possible laptop - Thinkpad X61 - for light
weight traveling.
These laptops are much to slow, and keyboard much too small, one hard drive,
lack of build in CD Drive (plug in external USB drive when needed), for
everyday use.

 

[Michal [Outlook MVP]]

Thank you John. Where can we learn more about exchange server?

You can also consider using 3rd party solutions to share your Outlook data.
They are usually much cheaper and easier to maintain than Exchange, but can
give you the same data sharing possibilities in Outlook. For example,
CodeTwo Public Folders allows you to work on shared data in online and
offline mode, when you are out of the office.

--
Best regards,
Michal Bednarz [Outlook MVP]

http://www.codetwo.com
Share Outlook on the net without Exchange!