|
|
|
News You Can Use
A monthly update on current trends, technologies and services affecting your world.
 " align="left">
Teleworking Challenges
|
 |
The benefits of teleworking are well-known: An eliminated or shortened commute, a more relaxed, custom-made work environment, scheduling flexibility. But there are wrinkles. Here are some challenges and some creative solutions:
|
 | Telecommuting offers unfortunate for social isolation and unproductive distractions. Turns out those drinking fountain conversations are more important than they seem for keeping people on tasks and offering more opportunities for advancement. Besides offering teleworking opportunities to people who are self-motiivated and have great communication skills, managers should stress that a dedicated work area at home is critical to productivity. Also important is the ability to ignore, pets, kids, television, the lawn, and nice sunsets. Discipline and diligence are key. Traveling to a shared office space closer to home is another option. |  | Security is always a concern in a teleworking environment. Sensitive data can be more easily compromised in an unstructured home environment. As such, teleworkers need to have regular security training. They need to fully understand all the challenges that go into keeping their company’s information safe and secure. Firewalls, anti-virus, VPNs are just some of the technologies they need to master. Personal and private information needs the highest level of security possible when off-site and in transport. |  | While not targeting teleworking per se, Microsoft used remote collaboration technology like LiveMeeting, Groove and SharePoint to reduce air trips by ten percent, saving the company $93 million. Microsoft was able to realize a return on investment of 240%. To wit, the company’s new office that opened last year in the Netherlands, has no assigned desks and is completely wireless. |  | VMware’s Virtual Desktop Infrastucture (VDI) product provides users with a virtual desktop, actually stored on a server and centrally managed by an IT department. Not only is the desktop fault-tolerant (always available), but it can be seamlessly suspended and resumed from a different client location – a teleworker’s dream. |  | Citrix Access Suite addresses organizations’ biggest challenges: Continuity of Operations (COOP), especially for government entities. Static infrastructure is vulnerable to attack, and emergency first responders can tolerate no downtime. Citrix allows the use of nearly any electronic device to access critical information. If the data center itself is affected, applications and resources can be deployed from the backup site with complete transparency. |  | Blackberry wants to unplug the PBX with its Mobile Voice System (MVS). This technology will allow people to use a central number and desk phone calls will appear on their Blackberrys, with a menu allowing calls to be seamlessly moved from desk to smartphone. Calls from a Blackberry can even be made to look like they are coming from an office phone. Return on investment is preserved in the existing voicemail system and integrates smoothly with VoIP. |  | Intel is dedicated to advancing the science of broadband around the world. As part of this they point to something they call their “Tick-Tock Model.” During a “tick” year they refine their silicon microarchitecture for increased efficiency and transistor density. In a “tock” year they redesign the architecture to take advantage of the previous year’s increase in transistors and any new technology. The result is predictable improvements in technology and decreased cost. |  | Intel is also dedicated to delivering a complete mobile experience through Centrino 2 with VPro technology. The Centrino 2 processor is optimized for multitasking, high-definition visuals and long battery life. This gives the teleworker the ability to get his or her job done wherever WiFi access is available. VPro allows IT staff to manage thousands of these laptops remotely, deploying updates and performing functions that used to require desk visits. |  | Seventy-nine percent of Federal Employees say they would telework if given the option, but how many are eligible? http://www.teleworkexchange.com/gizmo/ helps people assess this. Tandberg helped develop this online tool to wade through the various options. After answering some questions about length of service, type of work, etc., it will produce a concise document to give to management. |  | Both the United States Department of Agriculture and the International Trade Commission are proud of their in house automated tracking systems for teleworkers, and rightfully so. USDA’s TMS has been in use since 2006 and tracks details of teleworkers as well as informing the IT staff of equipment and application needs by email. Both systems have databases that provide detailed information to the Office of Personnel Management for annual reporting, and both are excellent candidates for adoption by other Federal agencies. |
|
|
|
|
Subscribe: Click here to be notified of new articles.
Read more from this issue
