Whether you’ve asked for flex (yes!) and now do some work from home or you’ve just started a new business, the first step is getting your online office up and running. We asked The Anywhere Office founder Phil Montero and Google manager Nadja Blagojevic for their best tips and tools for creating a professional online office.

Safety First When you work from home, it’s your client’s information on the line as well as your own. It's important to get more creative with your passwords and keep them varied. Hint: "Password1234" should not be your password. To keep track of all of the clever phrases you come up, consider using a password manager, which does the remembering for you—all you need is one master password. If you’re going to reuse passwords, Blagojevic recommends limiting it to one area, like using a similar one for all your shopping sites. If your account is compromised, the hackers won’t also be able to access your bank or email accounts.

Team Effort Make working from home more than a solo endeavor by using tools to create an easy way to interact as a work community. With virtual workspaces, it’s simple to collaborate on files, have group discussions and organize all your project data. Google Apps is available as a free or paid service, depending on the level of support and the number of users you have. Most people are familiar with Gmail and Google Drive, so there’s no learning curve. For a service with more project management features like shared task lists, milestone tracking and threaded discussions, Montero recommends either Teamwork PM or BaseCamp. 

If you’re transferring large files to clients or co-workers, you may want to consider using Dropbox or Hightail (formerly YouSendIt). Dropbox allows you to create a shared folder where several people can post files, which will then sync among all the users and their devices.

Dollars and Sense If you're just starting a business, chances are you're wearing many hats and may be operating as CEO, IT, customer service representative and accountant in one. So it can be easy to lose track of the base of your business—cash flow! To easily keep track of your invoices and payments, use a money management program. If you prefer the stability and protection against data breaches of locally installed software, Montero suggests Quicken Home & Business or Quickbooks. For those who want the flexibility of an online service, there's Freshbooks; Quickbooks also offers an online service.

Secure Web Surfing Whether you’re emailing away in a home office or coffee shop, check that you’re using a secure wi-fi connection so that all data and passwords you send are encrypted. Note that most public wi-fi networks are open and not secure. If a network is secure, it’ll require a password to connect and usually show a lock on the wi-fi icon. In order of preference, choose networks secured with WPA2 encryption, then WPA with WEP as a last resort.

If you’re telecommuting, ask your company if you can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a secure connection to a server or service at your main office. By connecting to a VPN, your company can encrypt and secure all the data you send, receive or upload.

Separation of Home and Office Work life balance takes on a whole new meaning when home and office are one and the same. If your tablet or phone pulls double duty as your work device and your kid’s toy, Android devices help ensure your kid doesn’t email your top client. The latest Android software offers Restricted Profiles, where you can control what apps and services your child can use. Set up a separate profile for your child and you can hand him your tablet with ease of mind.

Happy home work!