Software and Hardware for Domestic Energy Assessors
There's no escaping it, the business of Energy Performance Certificates is a business at the mercy of technology. Along with the benefits of higher productivity, decreased duplication of tasks, accuracy and compliancy, come concerns over cost, annual licence fees, ease-of-use, reliability, security, and security of information.
Mobile Devices - things to consider
You can find mobile devices in the hardware section.
At the time of writing, developers are working on mobile RdSAP software for PDAs, e-Pens (electronic pens) and Tablet PCs for use by Domestic Energy Assessors in-the-field. Some of these devices allow energy assessments to be processed and uploaded instantly.
Whilst there are obvious benefits of using mobile technology, it does mean you have to be super-accurate in your reporting as there will be no second chance to proof-read later... and that could prove costly down-the-line!
Security
Several points of note you need to consider here:
- Theft
- Security of personal data
- Physical loss
- Data loss
- Damage
You should seriously sit down and formulate a policy that you, your staff, wife or husband, look-to should any of the above (plus other) eventualities occur. There should be a series of events triggered according to what's gone wrong. For instance, if your mobile device connects to a server, your policy should state what actions and changes are necessary to prevent a thief making connection.
So in addition to what might seem the obvious:
-
Where is the telephone number to contact the connection provider? Hopefully, not on the mobile device - or at least not solely on the device!
- Do you need to inform any of the governing bodies? Who and how do you contact them? You need to know!
- How much information was on the device? You need to know what information is vulnerable and what action to take. How will you deal with assessments not yet processed?
- Passwords - which ones need to be changed? It's not uncommon to need several passwords these days; some are more important than others; which ones?
These are just some of the considerations you should think about in formulating your policy. A good policy thinks beyond the immediately obvious to ensure minimum downtime, client protection, business protection as well as employee protection; plus of course, to get the wheels of business rolling again.
Oh, and if you're working alone, how will you contact your next client(s) if their contact details are lost? Print out your appointments or keep a paper-based diary.
Back-up Data
You saw this coming didn't you! Well, as boring as it is, it's likely that as a practicising DEA you'll also be practising under the shadow of the Data Protection Act 1998 - the upshot is: your client's data needs protecting... securely!
... and that means securely away from fire, floods, hurricanes, visiting guests, kids, cats and angry spouses (or employees)!
Have a back-up policy and stick to it. Should anything bad happen, you'll know exactly what is at risk and how much "back-tracking" you need to do in order to get back up to speed.
Most of you reading this will ignore it thinking you'll cope and it won't be a drama. Good luck - best bookmark this page 'cos you won't want to go through it twice.
Michael Day
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Posts: 2
Reply #2 on : Mon November 24, 2008, 23:55:54
Mr.S. Dade
Posts: 2
Posts: 2
Reply #1 on : Fri September 11, 2009, 19:48:12
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Reply #3 on : Sat January 05, 2008, 20:18:06