I’ve written a number of posts in the past about the tools, services, software, apps and resources used by digital nomads and location independent professionals to run their businesses (and lives) online – and we still use many of these. However I’ve recently been trialling a range of new tools, some out of necessity and some just because!

I’m all for bootstrapping and using free tools such as Google Apps – but sometimes they just don’t cut the mustard, and as your business starts to grow as ours has done, it can be worth investing in the tools & services which get the job done more efficiently and quickly than struggling along with make-do resources.

So, here’s an updated list of some of the best tools I’ve tried for managing your location independent business from a Mac…

12VPN - an excellent VPN service which was the only one accessible while I was in Dubai this time round. Tip: Set one up before you leave and you won’t then struggle to find a service you can use while en route.

While free VPN services can work, their popularity (and free-ness) means they can be slow.

12VPN is easily affordable and more than worth it for the performance & speed – it’s also easy to set up for techies & non-techies alike.

Backblaze – there are multiple online backup options and I think I”ve tried many of them.

I still use Dropbox for sharing files and backing up some of my folders, but what I like about Backblaze is that it can back up almost everything on your system, if you want it too.

The first backup takes ages (as in weeks), since it backs up your system and you’ll sit there wondering if it will ever finish – but once it’s done, you can be safe in the knowledge that practically all of your stuff can now be retrieved and restored, if necessary. I use this in addition to Time Machine backups as an “off site” backup solution.

Daylite - an advanced business management/productivity tool, Daylite which combines collaboration, CRM, GTD, workflow management, project management and brand management in one.

With our main business, Kinetiva, growing all the time we’ve always got multiple projects on the go – which is becoming a bit of a nightmare to keep track of.

Daylite is a great way of managing everything in one interface and it feels like we’re only really just scratching the surface of how it can help us so far.

ForeverSave – a useful service which backs up almost any file you’re working on, safeguarding you from those annoying software crashes or power losses if you, like me, ignore the battery warnings and your Mac shuts down!

You can set this to backup as frequently as you like and it runs away in the background while you’re working on documents, spreadsheets, images, movies or whatever. It’s important to note that it doesn’t work with all software, for example it doesn’t work with Open Office but will work with Neo Office so double-check that the programs you use the most frequently are supported.

LastPass – an excellent password manager for multiple platforms and multiple browsers. This is now the only online password manager I use (although I still use 1Pass for other important information).

LastPass has plugins for the major browsers (including beta versions for Chrome) and once you’ve set up an account and installed the plug-ins, you don’t need to do anything else.

Your details are stored in your online “vault” which is password-protected with a Master Password (vital to remember) so these can be accessed from anywhere and any computer, if necessary.

Mailplane – this lets you use Gmail or Google Apps mail in a desktop application (i.e. you don’t need to open up a web browser to access your email).

You can easily switch between multiple accounts and do everything you can do in Gmail, including GTalk (although some labs features will need to be disabled).You can also easily include multiple (html) signatures on your emails which means you’ll no longer need any plug-ins or workarounds, as you do in online Gmail.

The interface is pretty much identical to your Gmail/Apps interface with a few slick additions so it’s easy to get to grips with plus it’s super fast.

MainMenu - while Macs are supposed to require less maintenance than PCs, I’ve found mine definitely runs slower over time.

Unfortunately, Macs still lack any real built-in “clean up” tools so it’s sensible to install one if you want to keep your Mac in tip-top condition.

MainMenu is one of a bunch of options which help keep your Mac running smoothly and quickly – I trialled a few but really liked the range of options and functionality of MainMenu so am sticking with it for now.

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