Thanks to the advent of the internet, companies are now able to operate in a much more flexible way than ever before by extending their networks beyond their business premises. The widespread uptake of home computers, broadband internet connections and web-enabled software means that businesses now have more opportunity than ever before to reduce costs and increase operational efficiencies through technology.

Last winter, UK business is estimated to have lost approximately £1bn as 6.4 million people failed to make it to work because of snow, and the impact of this year's weather is expected to be even worse. Research firm Global Insight advise "Businesses need to do all they can to maintain normal service levels and ultimately avoid losing customers and revenue^"1, something the provision of telecommuting facilities goes some way to addressing.

A further motivation towards remote access is increasing amounts of  UK government legislation requiring businesses to consider flexible working arrangements for staff. Whilst this may seem problematic for employers, there are also benefits to be had from investigating the possibilities such a corporate change may affect.

Benefits

The most obvious benefit from remote access systems is that employees are empowered to carry out their jobs from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night. Gone are the days when a salesperson had to return to the office after a customer visit to fill in paperwork and reports as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can now be accessed from a laptop or mobile phone immediately.

Similarly the advent of smartphones such as the Blackberry has allowed instant anytime access to corporate email, increasing employee productivity and helping staff stay in constant contact.

Research in the United States notes that 75% of staff believe that new technology not only makes them more productive, but that the greater flexibility in working arrangements allowed for a better balance between work and personal lives. Perhaps more beneficial to employers is that 33% of european workers believe that mobile communications have resulted in them working longer hours.²

How do we start?

Many small companies believe that remote access is not only a technical nightmare, but that any such solutions will be prohibitively expensive. Thanks to advances in SME technologies, access to critical systems such as email and document stores is not only affordable, but also simpler than ever before, and in an ever-changing market, absolutely essential. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it today to arrange an IT Audit or to discuss the possibilities available.



¹ New Technology Increases Productivity - emarketer.com - July 23rd 2009
² Businesses counting cost of snow - BBC News - February 3rd 2009