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Remote Possibilities
by Caroline Moncur
It is commonly thought that technology solutions to business challenges require expenditure on new hardware and software. However, there are technology-based business enhancements which are available without requiring significant upfront expenditure. They all though require a change in the accepted way of thinking on conducting business.
The change in mindset required is to move away from believing that "visibility equals productivity". Examples of a "visibility equals productivity" approach are Managers who promote strict adherence to a 9-5 schedule believing that employees who are at their desks are productive or a Manager who delays important decisions because s/he cannot get all the people required to make the decision in a room at one time, instead of organizing a virtual meeting.
The shift required is one where a Manager is only interested in output and results. How those results are achieved becomes no longer the Manager's concern. Through this change, a Manager can embrace the many remote possibilities that exist.
Remote Network Management
Remote Network Management is referring to the ability to monitor, manage and support a network from a remote location using internet-based tools.
For example, at Providence Technology Group, we monitor what issues are affecting our clients' network from our offices in real time and we can respond before issues become critical - such as a server running low on memory. Proactive network support and management minimizes downtime, improves network performance and increases value.
To gain these benefits, a Manager must change their way of thinking to measuring their service provider by their network performance, not by the presence on their premises of Technical Analysts. It also requires a shift in accepting internet-based tools as being secure, given sufficient controls in place.
Remote Working
There are considerable productivity benefits to be gained by an employee being able to work remotely. The frustrated employee who is late for work every morning due to traffic and school runs does not make the most productive nor committed employee.
An alternative to this is to enable employees to work from home when required. Research demonstrates that there are significant employer benefits in incorporating some flexibility into employees' working lives; it adds value to the bottom line through increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and higher staff retention.
The tools that most organizations would have in house provide nearly all the tools required to enable their employees to work from home: a laptop, cable modem access, cell phone, instant messenging and email. The only addition is to set up a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection which in many cases does not require additional software.
A Manager needs to shift their mindset from productivity equals time spent in the office to one where they focus on output and results. Setting expected results each month puts the onus on the employee to complete their job to the level expected.
Remote Meetings
"Presence-based" applications, one of the technology success stories in recent times, are those that provide the "presence" experience within a virtual team setting. They remove the need for many face to face meetings and therefore significantly reduce travel costs. In addition, they enable businesses to make decisions faster by reducing telephone tag and travel time.
One good example of these types of solutions is Microsoft Office's Live Meeting. This is a hosted Web conferencing service that allows organizations to meet and collaborate in a virtual environment with external parties. With Live Meeting, you can use a virtual whiteboard, change documents, make presentations and demonstrate products. Interaction with the other participants is through writing questions, using instant messaging, making notes on the whiteboard as well as by participating in polls.
Although this solution requires an upfront expenditure, businesses can start recouping much of that money immediately by avoiding travel costs. It also requires a change in mindset to believing that communication in real time and at a moment's notice is more productive than waiting for the physical presence of others.
These are just 3 of the "remote possibilities" that can enable an organization to derive business benefits without incurring substantial costs. Technology is about more than purchasing new hardware & software; it is about adopting new business processes, changing organizational cultures as well as changing the attitudes of executive management.
To provide feedback on this column, please email makingITwork@providencetg.com
About the Author:
Ms Caroline Moncur is Manager, Business Development at Providence Technology Group. Ms Moncur has over ten year's business development experience, primarily within the Information Technology industry. Providence Technology Group is one of the Bahamas' leading IT firms, specializing in Networking Solutions, Consulting & Advisory Services and Software Solutions.
