As American expats were forced to flee their homes in Egypt this past week, Joanne Lang, founder and CEO of Philadelphia-based AboutOne.com, began offering free subscriptions of her company’s cloud-based service to those evacuees. According to Lang, “More and more families are discovering that cloud computing offers a number of potential benefits, ranging from increased access to their information to better data security. AboutOne is the market’s first comprehensive online family information management tool, providing one location, accessible anywhere, where families can manage memories and household information.”
The patent-pending service also safeguards important family data and documents so that users’ information is protected and readily accessible in case of emergency. In January, citing her company’s commitment to charitable giving and helping others, Lang offered free AboutOne subscriptions to victims of the Australian flood disaster through AboutOne Helps. In light of recent unrest in Egypt, she’s expanded this offer to include free subscriptions to American expatriate workers who have been forced to evacuate the country.
When developing AboutOne, Lang, a former SAP Labs executive, capitalized on her experience with cloud technology. She’d seen how cloud computing and business software allowed businesses to eliminate mundane tasks and gain new levels of efficiency and security, and she wanted to bring those same benefits to families. Cloud computing is increasingly considered a simple yet effective means for families to manage information, as evidenced by the popularity of companies like Mint, ZipList, and other Web-based apps. With the enthusiastic market response to the public release of its beta product, AboutOne has been successful in its bid to be the global de-facto standard for Family Management Systems.
That there has been unprecedented adoption of cloud-based solutions is good news for consumers, given the flexibility, reduced cost, and mobility offered by these tools. According to customer Mandi Ehman, “There are plenty of remote backup sites that allow you to store files and documents, but what really sets AboutOne apart is the way it helps you organize your data, documents and family memories so that everything you need is at your fingertips.”
“As a frequent traveler and former expat, I experienced firsthand the need to access my household information and documents when I was away from home,” says Lang. “Everyone knows it’s prudent to safeguard critical data and documents in case of disaster, yet too few of us actually follow the best practices for doing this. Instead we keep silos of this data in paper files or on home PCs, often failing to perform regular backups. With AboutOne, my goal was to create a tool, accessible anywhere, that expertly handles data security so our customers don’t have to. I want our customers to know that no matter what happens, they’ll be able to access their household information whenever they need it.”
AboutOne’s ability to provide a highly secure location where customers can quickly and easily access household information, from any computer or cell phone with Internet access, holds great appeal to professional organizers like NAPO Board Member Regina Lark: “Although I don’t mean to scare my clients when I talk about preparedness, being organized also means being ready for disaster. AboutOne gives you everything you need to preserve family memories and important household information.”
Lang wants to provide expatriates everywhere with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their household information is safely stored and readily accessible.
