This is one of a number of questions that I answered on a community for freelancers which is closing soon. I’m going to re-post my answers here, with any identifying details removed, in case they are useful to others.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about, especially as I had someone approach me saying that their developer has passed away recently. A fellow techie also asked me about it as they host email for some of their family members.
The ways I’ve handled it so far are:
- Put everything in version control, and give clients access. Even if they can’t ‘use’ it, they can work with another developer if needed.
- Save changes to a central repository regularly.
- Similar to code, use a central, multi-access service such as Google Docs for any documentation.
- Nudge clients towards hosting providers who allow everyone to have their own account, rather than sharing credentials. In all but one case, the client has their own account, and I have access to it.
- Make sure that any providers have contact details for the client and have a note on the account saying what happens if I disappear.
I’ve also thought about building a group of freelancers who can back each other up when one of them is on holiday, ill or passes away. I’m not sure how it would work though as it involves a lot of trust and it’s hard selling people on the idea of something that only kicks in if the worst happens.